Ruby R Gamblin, 101 of Columbus, Mississippi died on Friday, June 26, 2009, at Aurora Australis Lodge in Columbus, Mississippi. Mrs. Gamblin was born Sunday, November 3, 1907 in Spring Dale, MS near Kosciusko, she was the daughter of the late Edmund and Zenobia Crosby Ratliff. A Funeral service will be at 11:00 AM on Tuesday at Gunter and Peel Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. David Strain officiating and Rev. Ron McDougald assisting. Interment will be in Odd Fellows Cemetery , Starkville, MS. Visitation will be from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM on Tuesday, June 30, 2009, at Gunter and Peel. She grew up on a dairy farm and enjoyed the outdoors and especially loved activities with her older sisters, Willena Ratliff, Mary Lou Ratliff Sanderson and Aileen Ratliff Lee. She graduated from Misssissippi Southern University in 1930 and taught in New Hope for at least one school year. She loved teaching and the New Hope community where she also enjoyed coaching girls basketball. However, she gave up her position to return home due to the illness of her father. The family had determined that she was the daughter most capable of assisting her parents. While back in Kosciusko, she met and married Frank Watley Gamblin from West, MS. Mr. Gamblin taught Math at the University of Mississippi in the early years of their marriage before becoming an insurance agent. They moved to Starkville and resided there until the late 1940's when they moved to Tallahassee, FL. Mrs. Gamblin was active in the Presbyterian church and enjoyed arranging flowers, grown in her lovely yard for services. She and Mr. Gamblin helped establish Trinity Presbyterian Church in Tallahassee, donating the altar furniture in memory of their son Frank, and was a member for 22 years. Upon retirement, the couple decided to move back to Macon, MS where Mr. Gamblin had family and they would be near family and friends. She was a member of the Presbyterian Church in Macon for 22 years also, They enjoyed travel and took many road trips in the United States, seeing most of the U.S. and parts of Canada. They also made several trips to Europe. Memories of their travels gave Mrs. Gamblin much pleasure in her later years as she enjoyed recalling sights, people and experiences from those many trips. Mrs. Gamblin moved to Trinity Retirement Center in 1991. She quickly came to love the people she met and her years at Trinity were very happy. Shortly after her 95th birthday she decided to sell her car and quit driving and moved into Trinity Personal Care. She was known for speedily walking the halls of both the retirement center and personal care because she wanted to get in three miles of walking daily. She took care to see that she excercised and ate properly and this resulted in her enjoying excellent physicial and mental health until shortly before her 100th birhtday when she suffered a broken hip and arm due to an accident. She is survived by 3 nieces; Frances May Blakeney of Macon, MS, Jacquelyn Byrum of St. Louis, MO and Mary Aileen Lee Colucci of Sterling, VA and 2 newphews; Edward and Eugene Harlan of Seattle, WA. She leaves many dear friends in Starkville, Macon, Tallahassee and Columbus and has been an inspiration to all who knew her. Memorial contributions may be sent to Main Street Presbyterian Church701 Main Street Columbus, MS 39701; Palmer Home for Children, P O Box 746 Columbus, MS 39703; or Trinity Retirement Center 300 Airline Road Columbus, MS 39702.
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