Joe Gambill

J.F. "Joe" Gambill, 89, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, August 24, 2017, at his residence.

Joe Gambill

He was born Sept. 2, 1927, in Crandon, Wisconsin, to William Blackburn Gambill and Margaret Mary Doyle.

He and the late Rosemary Kruger were married Oct. 8, 1949, in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

He served in the Army in 82nd Airborne as a paratrooper, completing 11 jumps.

He was the plant manager for Marquette Cement for 10 years. He retired as a consultant in that same field, setting up concrete plants in the Bahamas and California. He was the plant manager at Biokyowa for 10 years.

Joe served as county commissioner for two terms.

He was a member of the Saint Francis Medical Center Board of Directors for a number of years, the Tower Club, the Southeast Missouri Port Authority board, the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce board and served as the tail twister in the Lions Club. He was the recipient of the Rush H. Limbaugh Sr. Award in 1994.

Joe was also an avid golfer, Green Bay Packer fan and New York Yankees fan. He was known for his great sense of humor.

He was a member of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church.

Joe and Rosemary raised five children, the late Susan (Dennis) Wessel, Rose Ann Riesdorph of Cape Girardeau, Joseph F. (Kim Sims) Gambill of Cape Girardeau, Meg (Ethan) Chamberlain of Cincinnati and Kathleen (Rick) Sebby of Cape Girardeau. He is also survived by six grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Chapel in Cape Girardeau, with parish prayers at 7 p.m. and rosary at 7:30 p.m.

Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Cape Girardeau with the Rev. Francisco Gordillo officiating.

Memorial contributions may be given to the American Heart Association or St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church.

Online condolences may be made at www.fordandsonsfuneralhome.com.