Taylor John Gamble

Taylor John Gamble, 31, passed away September 29, 2022 at the University of Iowa Hospital. Services will be held at Walnut Hills Methodist Church on October 12, 2022. Visitation will be from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., with the service to follow.

Taylor was born on May 14, 1991 to Maureen (Minear) and John Gamble. He is the younger brother of Meg, his twin, and older brother – and idol – of Alena, his best friend, and Nick, his pride and protégé. He came into this world with the same profound creativity he inspired in others. From the beginning, his compassion and intelligence shone from his brilliant blue eyes, his gregarious smile framed by constellations of freckles, and the Gamble drains were clogged by his sweet potato hair. He first picked up his mother’s Alvarez guitar when he was so young no one can remember. From then, he never put it down again. By the time he was in middle school, he had already begun to build the community that he would carry with him through the many, many phases of his life. He graduated high school with hair long enough to pass his shoulders, and when offered a handshake he went in for the bear hug instead.

He matriculated with a Music Education scholarship at Drake University, where he continued to collect lifelong bandmates and friends – but his education was really everywhere he went. His curiosity was endless and found in the strangest, wildest, and most unexpected places. He walked through the world with so much empathy and generosity that you couldn’t help but learn along with him. He worked in many fields, including finance, insurance, music instruction, and construction as an electrician’s apprentice. He loved a challenge and was never without at least one good project. One of his biggest was the trailer he remodeled from scratch – after a really good demo session, of course. While he was remodeling it, he swore to his family and friends that it would be where he lived his whole life. A week later, he sold it and moved to Colorado.

About 10 days after he moved to Boulder he met Eleanore Tisch, his fiancé, and immediately fell in love. Their connection was so instant and natural that it could only be a gift from the universe. He told her he loved her a week after they met. Over the next seven years their initial connection deepened into something more solid; through ups and downs their love and mutual respect was never in question. From the moment they met, everything they did, every choice they made was for their future – even when it meant they needed time apart. When she moved to Ames this past August, they were so excited to start their family together, to build a home together, and most importantly, to shop together at the new Costco in Ankeny.

Taylor loved playing games and building Magic decks with Nick and Alena, shopping for office supplies with John, pestering Meg to buy him books, and listening to the music first introduced to him by Maureen. His laughter was infectious, his advice sage, and his understanding infinite. He was so easy to talk to, you could talk for hours and not even notice the time passing. Whether you were a stranger or his closest friend, there was no one better to talk to when you felt low because he could take you so high. If you asked for it, he could also simply sit with you, hold your hand, and offer his broad shoulders to cry on.

We could go on forever, and in our hearts, we will. The void he leaves is impossible to describe and we will be trying to write it down for the rest of our lives. He lived his life with a joy and love that we, those who were lucky enough to love him, will embody every day, the way he would want us to, the way he encouraged us to do, the way he taught us.
In his honor, we ask you to be more gentle, more genuine, and more open to what life brings you. In lieu of flowers or gifts, we request you make a donation in his name to the Des Moines Music Center at https://www.desmoinesmc.com/donate/

The service will stream to the church facebook page -
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and to the church youtube page - link text

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