Natalie Gamino Duncan, Beloved Mother, grandmother, cousin, comadre, and friend, passed into the arms of the Lord Easter morning, March 31, 2024, after a brief illness.
Natalie was born on Erringer Road in Simi Valley, CA to Sabina Gamino Vasquez and Gavino Gamino on February 7, 1936.
She attended Simi Valley High School and graduated from Ventura College, earning her diploma in nursing from Queen of Angels School of Nursing in Los Angeles in 1960. She later earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of La Verne.
Natalie loved being a nurse and was proud of her profession. She worked for over 45 years in all fields of nursing from bedside hospital care to clinics to public health and eventually, as a surveyor for the state of California. She was fondly remembered by those she’d worked with or for whom she had cared, often running into them while out and about –proof of her enduring positive effect on others.
Natalie loved to travel and lived in Spain and the Philippines early in her marriage. She had three children and often packed them into her trusty VW bug to visit family in Mexico, northern California and varied points of cultural interest in between.
Never one to sit still for long, Natalie also loved music and dancing and spent her youth collecting early rock & roll and country records. She danced the night away during nursing school and taught her daughters to swing dance in the kitchen – in socks!
She had a zest for life that drew others to her. A lifelong learner, she could frequently be found attending lectures, seminars and discussing events of historical interest. Dancing, traveling the U.S and Europe and reading detective novels were perpetual sources of joy for her.
Natalie was active in her parish, St. Rose of Lima, where she took care of the flowers with her natural green thumb and could be counted on for Holy Hour. Her deep devotion to her Catholic faith was a source of great comfort to her and her kindness, generosity and strength were an example for those of us fortunate enough to know her.
She is survived by her children, grandson, several cousins, and innumerable friends.
~ To say that I am made in the image of God is to say that love is the reason for my existence, for God is love. ~
Family and friends are invited to a Funeral Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 10am Monday, April 15, 2024 in St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church, 1305 Royal Ave. | Simi Valley. Arrangements are under the direction of the JOSEPH P. REARDON FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION SERVICE, Ventura.