Residents’
Review
September 2020
Volume 33,
Issue 9
Citizens Memorial Healthcare Facility is an affiliate of CMH, Bolivar, Mo., 417-326-6000
Facility Location: 1218 W. Locust St., Bolivar, MO 65613, 417-326-7648
Lois “Ann” Gamble
R e s i d e n t o f t h e M o n t h
Lois “Ann” Gamble was born Sept. 21, 1932, to Art “A.K.” and Jessie Gardner in Bolivar,
Missouri. Ann is the middle child to her two brothers, Stewart and Arvel who have passed away. Her
mother was a pastry cook at Southwest Baptist College for several years. Her parents also farmed their
200 acres where they put up hay, sowed corn, had a large garden and milked cattle. She recalls milking
cattle by hand with her family from age four through high school. She said in high school her parents
wouldn’t let her go anywhere until her milking was finished. She also was responsible for stacking
the hay with a pitchfork on a wagon after it was cut.
Ann attended Bolivar schools and graduated from Bolivar high school in 1950. During her junior
year of high school a good looking young man named Glenn Gamble saw her at a movie theater. She
was on a date with another guy. She said he thought he could go with her if the other guy could, so he
stopped by her house to ask her on a date. She was milking cattle when he stopped by. She said her
dad was very protective, but agreed to let her date him because he had heard good things about his
folks. That evening he picked her up in is nice Club Coupe and took her to the same movie that she
had seen with her other date. They had a great time and continued to date for close to two years. Glenn and Ann were on a date
one evening when he said, “I have something to show you,” and then parked the car. He reached into the glove box and pulled out
a box with the ring in it and placed it on her finger. She was so happy! Glenn’s sister and Ann then went to Zale’s jewelry store
and picked out their wedding rings. Glenn was serving in the Navy and during the Korean War he had a 30 day leave. They went
to Reverend Lewis Mead’s house in Fair Play, Missouri and got married Nov. 23, 1951. The couple were married for 39 years
when he passed away in 1990.
The day after she graduated high school, Paul Drake at the Paul Drake Telephone Office on the East side of the square in Bolivar
called her and asked her to be an operator for him. She accepted the position and worked there until she married Glenn. She
went back to work there again a few years later. She said she really enjoyed that job.
After the wedding, Ann moved to San Francisco for six weeks where Glenn was stationed and then back to Bolivar to live with
her parents while he was gone. He went back and forth to Korea and spent three to four months at a time there. Ann made several
trips to see him in San Francisco. She traveled once by plane and three times on an old train to San Francisco with the wife of one
of Glenn’s friends. That trip took 3 days and 2 nights to get there with no sleeper on the train. She recalled staying on the 7 th floor
in the Wellington Hotel one time while there. There was an earthquake that evening and their building was rocking and dishes
were falling from the cabinets. They thought they were goners. The earthquake didn’t last long, but it sure scared them.
When Glenn got out of the service, he worked at the post office in Fair Play. The couple bought a small house for $3,500 in
town. They had saved their money and were proud to be able to pay for it with cash. Seven years later, they bought Glenn’s
parent’s home on 230 acres just north of Fair Play where they raised beef cattle and Ann milked 5 cows to have some extra spending
money. She remembers always working hard to have what they had. They raised their three wonderful kids Sheila, Brent and
Brad on this farm. She said, “Marrying Glenn and giving birth to my three children were the highlights of my life. They are the
light of my life.” She has made many special memories with them. She was also blessed with seven grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren.
Ann said the advice she would like to share with the younger generation is, “Always be kind and love one another and to always
be true to the person you marry and to marry for life.”
Ann joined our CMHCF family in Oct. 2019, and when asked what her favorite part about living here was, she said, “I know
several people here and it feels like home. Everyone is so kind, it is clean and the food is good. It is a great place to be when you
can’t be at your home. I recommend CMHCF to anyone.”
Congratulations, Ann on being chosen as CMHCF’s resident of the month.
Are you a caring individual who would like to assist in caring for the elderly?
Citizens Memorial Healthcare Facility has opportunities in its volunteer and nursing program.
For more information call Jeff Miller, administrator, at 417-326-7648.