Gary L. Gibson, age 55, of Caledonia and formerly of Gnadenhutten, Ohio entered into the presence of his Lord and Savior on September 20, 2013 at 9:45 A.M.
Gary was born June 12, 1958 in Tuscarawas County to the late Shirley Anne (Crowe) Gibson and Gary L. Gibson Sr.
He was a 1976 graduate of Indian Valley High School and a 1980 graduate of Muskingum College. While at Muskingum he received his BA in Speech Communication, Radio/TV Operation, Public Relations and a Secondary Education Certificate in Communications. Gary went on to earn his certification and instructor certification in EMS, Firefighting and Emergency Vehicle Operations.
In September of 1988 he became the Executive Director (Chapter Manager) of the Marion County Chapter of the American Red Cross. He served in that capacity for 10 years. Anyone who needed assistance received it, no matter the time of day or night. Gary’s goal was to have 24 hour guaranteed emergency services for family/military communications and disasters. Because of Gary’s compassion to help those in need, he was proud that there was never a breakdown in services between his staff, volunteers, himself and those in need.
Before coming to Marion, Gary previously was the Communication Coordinator as well as the Manager of Non-Emergency Transport EMS/Security at Twin City Hospital in Dennison, Ohio. He went on to be the Health Educator for the Tuscarawas County Health District in Dover, Ohio.
Gary was well known among the youth of both Tuscarawas and Marion Counties. Throughout his career he served as a Substitute Teacher whenever he was available. He loved getting down on the floor and working with kindergarteners as well as having the opportunity to interact with high school students.
Throughout his life he worked with the Boy Scouts of America in many capacities. Anywhere from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts, Cub Master to Committee Member, Gary served wherever there was a need. He firmly believed in the educational program for boys to build character and prepare young men to make ethical choices over their lifetimes. He was involved in both the Buckeye Council of Stark County and the Harding Area District of Marion County.
Gary belonged to many clubs and organizations throughout his short life. His involvement included Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, Firefighters Association, Safety Council, Amateur Radio, Marion County Human Services Needs Task Force, River Valley Baseball For Youth, Volunteer Referral and Info Organization, United Way Speaker’s Bureau, Local Emergency Planning Committee, North Central Ohio EMS Advisory Council, Disaster/Emergency Management Agency Drill/Exercise Committee and the Governor’s Public Safety Task Force.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Gary served as a volunteer firefighter for several different departments including Gnadenhutten and Clay Volunteer Fire Departments of Tuscarawas County as well as Salt Rock Volunteer Fire Department in Morral and the New Vision Volunteer Fire Department of New Bloomington.
As you can see, Gary’s dash between his birthdate and his date of death was filled with many events and activities in which he participated in. Along with those events, he touched the hearts of some and the lives of many others in one way or another.
Gary would tell you that none of this meant as much to him as his greatest accomplishment in life; being the father to three wonderful boys and the husband to the love of his life. He would trade every moment for his wife, Beth and their three sons. Gary was extremely proud of the three men that they have become.
He is survived by his wife of 25 years; Beth (Book) Gibson, his three sons; Ryan, Cory and Aron, his two brothers; Rick Gibson of Canton and Kenny (Veronica) Gibson of Powell and a number of other family members and friends.
He has now not only joined his parents in the Kingdom of Heaven but also his grandparents; Coleman & Jane Gibson and Howard & Elizabeth Crowe.
Beth and her sons would sincerely like to thank everyone for their prayers and support to Gary and the family during his courageous fight. Many thanks to the staff and students of River Valley High School who showed in so many ways what it meant not only to be a community but also a family. It meant so much Friday night that there was a moment of silence for Gary before the Elgin football game.
We cannot thank those who helped us enough. It means so much to know that so many people care and are there for us.
Special thanks to Marion General Hospice and Dr. Carmen Skinner for their deep compassion and help during this difficult time.