Maria “Ria” Gamba (nee: Brancato), 85, of Livingston, entered into eternal rest on Wednesday, October 3, 2012. She was born in Brooklyn where she resided as a youngster. In her early life she lived in Newark graduating Barringer High School. Later, she met and married Ralph N. Gamba. The marriage continued happily for sixty years. The had one child, Valerie, who sadly passed away in 2003.
Ria was a wonderful homemaker, a great chef and caring and loving mother and grandmother to Jamie and Joseph Schleifer. Ria also excelled in the game of golf and was a club champion four years running at the Francis Byrne Golf Course in West Orange.
She is survived by her beloved husband, Ralph and her two grandchildren; her six wonderful nieces Francine Ponte, Lisa Harmuth, Lauren Berardi, Tina Perera, Candace DeSantis and Joan Rabello; her loving sister-in-law Helen Gamba and her seven sons and nephews John and Dan DeSantis, Craig Bonforte and Dominick and Sabastian Palmeri.
Entombment services will be at the Gate of Heaven Chapel Mausoleum, 225 Ridgedale Ave., East Hanover, NJ, on Tuesday, October 9, 2012 at 11AM.
