Vivian Charlene Gamblian

Vivian Charlene Gamblian was born December 1st, 1953 to Noble and Geraldine Wright in Dyersburg, Tennessee. Vivian was the second of 5 children in a busy household. The family moved several times and she grew up in Indiana and Missouri. Vivian was baptized into Christ and lived for Him throughout lifetime. Vivian graduated as Salutatorian from Richland High School in Richland, Missouri in 1971. She attended Central Christian College of the Bible in Moberly, MO, where she met and began dating Stan in 1972. She ultimately earned her RN, BSN and MSN degrees and had many hours of study beyond her Master’s in Nursing.
Vivian married Stan Gamblian on April 7th, 1973 and they spent a year in England with the US Air Force. They returned to the Midwest where they settled and had three children. Stan worked in the computer technology field and Vivian worked as a nurse, discovering a passion serving for women and babies. She worked in the Labor & Delivery and Neonatal Intensive Care units. While in Cincinnati, Ohio she managed the NICU before relocating to the Dallas area to become the Patient Care Director for the Presbyterian Hospital’s Women’s Services. Vivian embraced her entrepreneurial side when she franchised Healthy Homecomings ® a home healthcare agency in Texas, specializing in the care of high-risk pregnancies and infants. Vivian began teaching full-time in 2003. She served as a Professor, Senior Lecturer, and Coordinator of Simulation for several nursing programs including Collin College, Baylor University and West Coast University. After moving to Abilene in 2017, she served as an adjunct instructor for Abilene Christian University. Vivian truly enjoyed training nurses in the field she loved. Through these positions, Vivian was given the opportunity to travel to Vietnam, Korea, and Honduras to help train nursing students. Her love for serving others took her abroad many times to support medical missions throughout the world. Additionally, she and Stan served on medical mission trips to Grenada and Panama through their church in Allen, Texas.
As much as she enjoyed being a nurse and cultivating new nurses, she was always committed to her family. She was very proud of her three children and seven grandchildren. Upon moving to Abilene, Vivian and Stan were excited to be able to live close enough to be involved in the lives of five of their grandchildren.
Vivian is survived by her husband of more than 45 years, Stan Gamblian. Two daughters – Rachel Team and husband Jody of Abilene, TX and Melinda Watkins and husband Branden of Abilene, TX. One son: Patrick Gamblian and wife Sarah of Broken Arrow, OK. Seven grandchildren – Emma, Audrey, and Cora Team of Abilene, Kennedy and Grant Gamblian of Broken Arrow, OK and Brynlee and Dean Watkins of Abilene. Two brothers: Norman Wright and wife Pam of Moberly, MO, Roger Wright and wife Mary of Vincennes, IN. Two sisters: Betsye Harris of Paragould, AR and Rachel Craighton and husband Gordon of Shiloh, GA. Also surviving are 16 nieces and nephews, their spouses and children and many friends and loved ones.
She was preceded in death by her parents: Noble and Geraldine Wright, in-laws, Bill and Flossie Gamblian and her grandparents.
Visitation will be held Friday, March 1st from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at Piersall Funeral Directors, 733 Butternut St. Funeral service will be held Saturday, March 2nd at 11:00 a.m. in the Chapel on the Hill on the ACU Campus. A short graveside service will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Monday at the Texas State Veterans Cemetery at Abilene, 7457 W. Lake Road.
Vivian spent much of her life advancing and serving the nursing profession and expressed a desire to help the ACU School of Nursing. In her memory - the family requests that donations be made to support the ACU Nursing School at Abilene Christian University. Please make gifts payable to Abilene Christian University and direct to Gift Records, ACU Box 29132, Abilene, TX 79699 or online at acu.edu/giveonline Condolences may be offered to the family online at www.pbfuneraldirectors.com.