Jacqueline Ruth (Nowalk) Gambo

Jacqueline Ruth Nowalk Gambo, 83, of Dunmore, died Tuesday evening at the Hospice of the Sacred Heart Inpatient Unit in Dunmore. She was the widow of Angelo Frank Gambo, who died April 2002. They had been married for 42 years.

Born in Scranton, she was the daughter of the late John and Mary Reich Nowalk. Jackie led a full and busy life in all of her 83 years on this God's earth. She graduated from Scranton Tech in 1955 and was a saleswoman at Helen Shwartz. She met and married Angelo Frank Gambo in 1959 and started their family with the birth of their first daughter in 1960. Thus, began Jackie's true calling in life as a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. In between her daily duties, she enjoyed ballroom dancing, pizza parties at the pool with her "TOPS" weight group friends and trips to the casino. Later in life, she worked for a time at Gertrude Hawks Chocolates before the grandchildren. She began her residence at St. Mary's Villa Assisted Living in Elmhurst in April of 2009, where she earned her title as a PEER (Pennsylvania Empowered Expert Residents), welcoming new residents each day and enjoying continued field trips on the Villa "Van" to the casino, Bill's Supermarket and the ice cream stand. Her continued devotion to God and her family at St. Anthony's was enduring and will live on in the hearts of all her family especially at St. Mary's Villa Campus.

She was a talented singer, dancer, ladies bowling league member, and was a talented seamstress who also made her and her children's clothes. Her most cherished role was that of wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, friend, mentor, spiritual adviser and den mother.

She is survived by her children, Theresa Gambo Barrasse; Charles Gambo and his wife, Cathy; Angelica Gambo and her partner, Richelle Brown; Christine Pierson and her husband, Rolland; Victoria Gambo; Janice Gambo-Chesna and her husband, Mark; Mark Gambo and his wife, Michelle; and Joseph John Gambo; her grandchildren, Lindsay Barrasse and her husband, Dave; Nicole Guzenski and her husband, Mike; C. Nicholas Gambo and his wife, Alyssa; Krystal Pierson, Jacob Gambo, Katelyn Pierson, Ally Solsman, Carly Gambo, Adriana Gambo, Anthony Gambo and Angelo Gambo; her great-grandchildren, Charlotte Gambo and Henry Guzenski; a sister, Beatrice Nowalk; a brother, Michael Nowalk and his wife, Judy; and many, many nieces, nephews, cousins, neighbors and friends far and wide.

She was preceded in death by her sisters, Gertrude Bastek and Geraldine Nowalk.

The funeral will be Saturday from the Carlucci-Golden-DeSantis Funeral Home Inc. 318 E. Drinker St., Dunmore, with Mass of Christian Burial at 9:30 a.m. in St. Anthony of Padua Church, Smith Street, Dunmore, followed by interment in St. Catherine's Cemetery, Moscow.

Friends may call Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. at the funeral home.

All those attending are kindly asked to follow social distancing guidelines and to wear a face covering immediately upon entering the funeral home and the church.

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