Jenny Gamble passed away on Saturday, July 27 at about 5:30AM. She lived an extraordinary life, beyond compare.

She was surrounded by an outpouring of love from her family and friends during her final weeks at Stanford Hospital. While the hospital was not the plan we had for her departure, it was fulfilling her wishes to be free of the pain and we made the best of it. We talked, we played music, we laughed, and we cried A LOT. It was truly beautiful time together all the way to the end.
I have been struggling to write this post as it feels like it just makes this all real, but this is the reality we all must face. Many of you understood how sick Jen was, but for most for all of us it was impossible to believe this was a woman fighting cancer. She had fears like anyone facing mortality, but she worked so hard to just live life full every day and tried to not let this disease define her.
Jen had the most infectious personality and everyone who had encountered her aura knew it immediately. She had a way of just pulling you into her orb and engage in whatever she was doing in the moment without you even realizing it - it was a superpower of hers. Thank you all for being a part of her life. She thrived on her relationships and connections with people.
I had the pleasure of living the majority of my life with Jen. We met when we were just about to turn sixteen and our nescient dating in high school became the foundation of a lifelong friendship. She was my best friend. This year was to be our twentieth wedding anniversary and some big changes in our lives as we are sending our first born, Cliff, off to college. Now, our family and friends must navigate a change we never wanted to confront – proceeding forward without Jen. It feels so impossible, but we will all find our way and I am so touched by the outpouring of support that we have all received.
Jen taught me so many things, but I will just share a few that meant the most to me:
She showed me what love is and how when you have children there is a whole new level of love that is boundless.
She showed me adventure and we have created experiences together that I could have never imagined without her.
She showed me that the world was limitless and you could do anything you set your mind to.
She showed me selflessness and what it was like to live every day in service to our three amazing children.
She showed me the value of family and friends and that your relationships are the foundation for everything.
The last few weeks have, by far, been the toughest of my life. Reaching the point where you must confront the concept that there is nothing more you can do is overwhelming. Not being able to fix something, candidly, has never been something I have had to confront - especially when it is the life of your soul mate.
Jen inherently knew that her diagnosis was something that I or any of us could not fix and she understood how absolutely frustrating this was. We had an extraordinary team of doctors, nurses, friends, and family supporting Jen and I thank you all. I especially want to acknowledge one of her best friends, Dr. Carin Craig, who has been at Jen’s side through nearly every step of her battle. Carin – Thank you! Many more thanks coming for all who have been supporting Jen and our family, but I really needed to thank Carin now as she helped make Jen’s battle less overwhelming for her and our family.
I would be remiss to not leave you with something that meant something so much to her – the writings of Shakespeare. For sure, I am appreciating her love of the Bard a little more today, having re-read Shakespeare’s Sonnets 116 and 18. I remember many years ago Jen and I were in NYC for our 10th wedding anniversary. We were walking the High Line and young man walked up to us and said, “You two look so in love, can I read you some Shakespeare?” You could only imagine how Jen lit up as his words provided her a lifetime of joy and this guy just sitting on a bench on the High Line asked us to take a moment with him and he recited these sonnets for us.
Sonnet 116
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken
Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
Sonnet 18
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
While Jen’s beauty shined in so many ways, I want to share with you how incredible it was to watch her SCUBA diving underwater, particularly on one of our last trips together in Indonesia. She always said, it’s so peaceful and how amazing it felt to be weightless in the underwater world. I think it was a place where she could escape the noise of a busy world and give all of her attention to her own enjoyment, which I’m sure felt impossible at times, since she was re-diagnosed. She loved everything about the ocean.
Finally, and most important, I invite you all to look for the signs of Jen’s presence. Jen knows one of my favorite lyrics is “You give me presents with your presence alone.” These last couple of days since her passing, we have all felt her presence and already there have been many signs from beyond. In her final months, she was desperately seeking to understand how she could connect with us after leaving her earthly body. She’s finding ways and all you have to do is look. I look forward to hearing about all your signs and experiences with Jen’s presence as every moment is indeed a present.
Our family has been taking a few days to grieve together with her parents, sisters and cousins at her parents’ home in Granite Bay. We have received so many txts, emails, and calls and thank you all. I will have a chance to check in and get back to you all soon, but we’re taking a little time… We will likely head back home to Santa Barbara this evening and look forward to connecting with our community at home. We look forward to seeing everyone! Please start collecting your stories and experiences with Jen to share. I will post plans for a celebration in the next day or two.
Sending love and remembering truly one of the greatest spirits to travel this earth, my best friend, Jenny Gamble. Viva La Jenny!
Thinking of you often these last days . . . .have seen Marina in passing and see your smile through hers. . . . .miss you . . . .
Such a beautiful and loving tribute to a truly exceptional person! Jen touched so many of us with her smile and joy for life lived fully. She is missed already. <3
The brightest light, that Jen. I will never forget her laughter and smile. Our joyous day sailing the Potomac. Sending you all so much love and healing.
Perfect.
(And I never knew that Judy has such an angelic voice)
I can't tell you how much your and Jen's presence in our life has meant. She was always such an inspiration for us. Her energy was so infectious. All I can say is I'm glad to know her spirit lives on in you, in her kids, and in everyone who knew her. She made the world a much brighter place, and I'm forever grateful to have met her.
All of our love. Josh