Roberta L. Gangler

March 1, 1954-June 2, 2020

Roberta Lapinski Gangler, 66, of Swiss Mountain , Somerset , PA and State College, p assed away on Tuesday, June 2, at Geisinger Danville Medical Center.

Born on March 1, 1954, in Elmhurst, Illinois, she was the daughter of the late Richard Joseph Lapinski and Dolores Sroka Lapinski.

Roberta moved to Macon, Georgia with her parents at age nine ; then growing up in the Peach State. She graduated from Wesleyan College, Macon, in 1976, with a B.A. in Music. Playing the piano was always the first and foremost passion in her life. She moved on to gain a Master of Music Education at the University of Georgia in 1977. It was in Athens, Georgia, that she would meet a freshly-minted Naval Officer, Douglas Gangler, who was going to a navy training school in this beautiful town . They would marry , in February 1978, in San Diego, CA.

Roberta initially proceed ed to become a certified Music Therapist. However, it was th rough the adventur ous life of moving about the world, and being part of a great nav y with all its traditions and crucial support by families , that she found her true calling and thrived . After starting their marriage in San Diego , followed by a short period in Portland, OR; Roberta and Doug next went overseas to Subic Bay Naval Base, Philippines. On this exotic seaport from another era, from 1980 to 1982, she taught music to American children at the on- base school, offered private piano lessons out of the ir base house , and play ed the organ in the base church. This developed into a fulfilling musical career , while contributing valuable services to small American outposts around the world and communities back in the United States.

Through out the rest of the 1980s, Roberta continued providing piano lessons to children : next at the U.S. Naval Station in Rota, Spain, followed by Naples, Italy, where she additionally taught music class at the Montessori School on AF South NATO Base . The positive influence she had on the many, many American and local children passing through her life is incalculable.

From 1989 on, i n the United States, Doug was stationed mostly in the Washington, D.C . area, which led to the couple living in Silver Spring, Maryland. During the early 19 9 0s, Roberta took up right where she left off overseas: teaching piano lessons for children in the community ; teaching music at two Montgomery County private schools , the Wood's Academy and St. John Catholic School ; and playing the organ in several local churches .

Retirement from the navy by her husband allowed for a move to Pennsylvania in 2002, with Roberta enthusiastically transitioning to a new lifestyle. She loved their condominium at the Swiss Mountain Association, Seven Springs, which she used as a base , in the early 2000s, for ten years of working for a local area winery. The friendships she made there were among the most cherished of her life time . She also came to adore State College, where the family built a ho use .

Roberta is survived by her mother Dolores of Twin City, GA ; husband Doug; two children , Steven (along with Steve's spouse Lindsey and their son Alex) now of Virginia Beach, VA, and Meredith of Newton, MA ; sister Barbara Lapinski Stevens and her husband Robert James Stevens of Marietta, GA ; and numerous cousins, nephews, and nieces.

Roberta's zest for life led to adventures around the world, while at the same time being a valued member of the communities in which she lived.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Heintzelman Funeral Home of State College. A memorial service is pending at this time, and burial will be private at the Fort Indiantown Gap National Veteran's Cemetery.

Memorial contributions can be made to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, 875 N. Randolph Street, Suite 225, Arlington, VA 22203.