A beloved mother-of-four and member of the Gambaro restaurateur family has died from cancer just days before Christmas.
Jess Gambaro, 46, died on Monday following a long battle with Oesophageal cancer.
Mrs Gambaro was diagnosed with stage four oesophageal cancer in August last year after she went to the hospital thinking she had pneumonia.
Her heartbroken husband Donny Gambaro shared a touching tribute to his wife and mother of their four children, Don, 16, Zara, 12, nine-year-old Massimo and seven-year-old Nico.
‘I have lost the love my life and my best friend,’ Mr Gambaro told The Courier Mail.
Mr Gambaro explained his wife’s cancer diagnosis was a ‘mystery’ as she had never smoked and did not drink alcohol either.
Oesophageal cancer occurs when abnormal cells develop in the innermost layer of the oesophagus.
It is a slow-growing cancer which is usually detected in its advanced stages as there may not be many symptoms in the early stages.
In 2023, Oesophageal cancer accounted for one per cent of all cancers affecting around 1,700 ns – mostly men aged over 70 – with the main cause being tobacco smoking and high alcohol consumption.
Mrs Gambaro’s treatment included three types of chemotherapy, extensive radiation and a course of a trial drug.
Mr Gambaro said there was a ‘glimmer of hope’ his wife was going to beat the cancer and was even body surfing last Christmas.
‘We got a glimmer of hope we were going to beat it last Christmas, but it was all the subsidiary cancers that took my darling,’ Mr Gambaro said.
‘She really believed she would beat this – this time last year she was body surfing at Coolangatta.’
In a heartfelt tribute to his wife, Mr Gambaro described her as a woman who had a calming presence, with a smile that radiated a room.
He added Jess was an ‘outspoken lady’, with a ‘great sense of humour’ that was not outrageous or over the top.
Mrs Gambaro had degrees in marketing and IT and was working up until the last few months of her life building websites for the family business.
The Gambaro Group is an n hospitality company founded in 1953 by Italian immigrant Giovanbaptista Gambaro who moved to North Queensland in 1938.
The company was passed down to sons Michael and Domenico, who then opened the Gambaro Seafood Restaurant in 1974 – which remains the oldest established restaurant in Brisbane.
It’s humble beginnings, with a fish and chip shop on Caxton Street, Petrie Terrace, is still run today by the sons of the late Michael Gambaro, Frank, Donny and John.
The Gambaro empire now comprises of a string of popular venues including Pipi’s Restaurant, Persone Italian in Brisbane city, Awaken cafe at Coolangatta and Black Hide Steak & Seafood at The Star on Caxton Street.
A funeral for Mrs Gambaro will be held at St Brigid’s Church in Red Hill – the same place she married her husband 17 years ago – on January 3, 2025.
She is survived by her husband, their four children, her parents Lloyd and Joan Bennett and siblings Philippa, Zoe and Rhys.