Obituary

Gibson “Gib” Gibson, 82, of Belvidere, formerly of Loves Park, passed away Saturday, December 4, 2021, in his home after a long illness with Parkinson's Disease, prostate and bone cancer. Gib was born July 23, 1939, in Phoenix, AZ, the son of Morris P. and Juanita P. (Null) Gibson. Gib and his sister, Gloria, spent the summers in a boarding school while their dad worked on the Horse Mesa Dam. The family moved to Illinois when Morris began to work at Woodward Governor in Loves Park. During those years, their parents would put Gib and his sister on the Amtrack train to Shattuck, OK, to spend the summer at their uncle, Bernard and aunt, Ruth (Holt) Null's farm. When he was older, Gib worked at Lenz Pharmacy and Kiddie Land, both in Loves Park. In the summer of his sophomore year in high school, Gib and his friends, Ken Fischer and Sam Vincent worked and stayed at The Hickory House in Lake Geneva, WI. Gib also spent many summers with Wayne and Thela Caylor who so graciously invited him into their home so he could finish high school with his friends. He graduated from Harlem High School and was a proud member of the Class of 1957. He joined the U.S. Naval Reserves on January 27, 1958, and worked on a mine sweep vessel that was based in Charlotte, SC. Gib was honorably discharged as a PNA3USNR on January 28, 1963. On October 22, 1960, he married Barbara (Thompson) and out of that union had three children, Rickard, Michelle, and Melissa. On May 4, 1974, Gib married Shirley (Sjedin) at Church By the Side of the Road in Rockton. Later, their marriage was blessed at a ceremony at St. Anthony Padua Catholic Church in Rockford. Out of this marriage, Gib and Shirley had one son, Brett Thomas Gibson. For many years, Gib owned Gib's Sunoco on North 2nd street in Loves Park. From there, he went on to work for Loves Park Transit as the head maintenance supervisor until he retired to start another business. Race Day Enterprises was born out of his love for cars and his gift for making them go fast. One of Gib's favorite trips of recent years was being part of the Vets Roll bus trip in 2015. He talked about those three days and the memories for a very long time. Gib enjoyed fishing and most of all racing his Formula Ford #22 at Blackhawk Farms Raceway plus many other tracks. In 1981, he was named SCCR Race Driver of the Year. In 2003 as crew chief of Dr. Don Lyddon's crew, he earned Crew Chief of the Year from the Blackhawk Valley Region. He loved getting together with his children and grandchildren during the holidays and having cookouts. In December of 2020, he became a great-grandfather to Parker George Gibson. He was a very generous and humble man who had many friends. We have been told by many that “Gib was one of the best men they have ever known” which is a testament to his willingness to help and offer advice to anyone that wanted to help themselves. Special thanks go out to Heartland Hospice staff Lynette, Sherri, Kathy, and Pam; to the CVS Pharmacy staff at East State Target; Dr. Nielsen, DPM for his thoughtfulness to Gib and his wife; Dr. Gallagher UW Madison Neurology Dept. for years of support and treatment; neighbors, especially Darin, Barb, Brian, and Cameron for all their help over the years and dear friend Judy Anderson a heartfelt thanks for everything. Words cannot express the gratitude to all who took time to love Gib. Survivors include his devoted wife, Shirley; son, Rickard M. Gibson; daughters, Michelle A. Gibson, and Melissa (Terry) Adkins; grandsons, Mitchell (girlfriend, Dawn) Gibson and Kyle (Ann) Gibson; granddaughters, Rachel (Erik) Krause, Ellen Adkins, Emily Adkins, and Anna Brett Ruggiero; great-grandson, Parker George Gibson; sister, Gloria Kelly; nephew, Donald Wesley “Wes” Henderson; niece, Camille Henderson; cousins, Bernard Leroy (Darlene) Null, Jr. and Rickey Dale (fiancé, Patricia Butkowski) Null. Predeceased by his parents; son, Brett Thomas Gibson; and grandson, Noah Thomas Adkins.

Service at noon Friday, December 17, 2021, in Delehanty Funeral Home, Ltd., 401 River Lane, Loves Park, with visitation from 10 a.m. to service time. Burial in Scandinavian Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials to Heartland Hospice or Vets Roll. Per family request, social distancing and masks required. Visit delehantyfh.com.