Jess S. Gibson

Jess grew up on a dairy farm in Berryville, Arkansas but always found time to play tennis. He lettered in tennis in high school. Jess enlisted in the Army/Air Corps a few months prior to World War II and was active military, United States Air Force, for 27 years. He spent 2 1/2 years in the South Pacific during World War II & completed a one year tour of duty in Vietnam. He received numerous medals. Jess worked long hours for many years to support his wife, Virginia, two daughters, Karen & Carla and son, Keith. After Jess & Virginia retired they traveled in their motor home, spent winters in warm weather states like Arizona & California and summers in their home in Woodland Park, CO. They were very involved in outdoor activities such as hiking, cross-country skiing and golfing. Jess was awarded a 60 year Mason membership award in 2008 and was also a member of the Scottish Rite Shriner's organization of Southern Colorado. Jess was one of seven siblings and is survived by Virginia, his wife of 67 years, his three children, four grandchildren, three great grandchildren, a brother, Joel Lloyd Gibson & a sister, Virginia Christine Carter, and was preceded in death by his parents, brothers James Orville, Sanders Boyd & Homer Brian and a sister, Gwendolyn. Graveside Service with full military honors will be held Thursday, June 25, 2009 at 12:15 PM at Fort Logan National Cemetery, Staging Area ""C"", 3698 South Sherdian Boulevard, in Denver, Colorado. Please arrive at the Staging Area by 12:10 PM. Memorials in Jess' name may be made to any hospice organization of your choice. Please share your memories of Jess and condolences with his family by selecting the ""Sign Guestbook"" tab below. ___________________________________________________________________ A Lifetime of Commitment and Service By Jimmy Olsen Cub Reporter The Daily Planet As I have often said, Eagle Villas is a special place, if only for the many ""walking history books"" we have here in The Grove. For example, there is a rather thick book with a well-worn cover in our midst, a book that I would entitle A Lifetime of Commitment and Service. It comes in two volumes, which must be read concurrently. This book is Jess and Virginia Gibson. Jess and Virginia moved to Eagle Villas from Woodmoor a few years ago, but you would never dream of the many things they've done individually and together over nine decades. Jess was born in Berryville, AR in 1915. His dad and mom owned a dairy farm, which meant a lot of hard work for the entire family. Jess had a slightly younger brother, Lloyd. They grew up and went to high school right there in Berryville. When I asked jess what his favorite course was, he immediately answered, ""Tennis!"" He played on the high school tennis team, lettering in the sport. Virginia was born in Orland, ME in 1921. She grew up in Orland during the Great Depression. She had a sister, Mildred. Times were tough and money was scarce, so Virginia took a series of jobs beginning at an early age. Since there was no high school in Orland, she attended high school in Old Town, ME, where she worked for room and board. Extracurricular activities were few (except for work!). Virginia was a dedicated straight-A student. How does a tennis-playing dairy farmer from Arkansas meet a straight-A student from Maine, you ask? After graduating from high school, Jess and Lloyd decided to enter the Army Air Corps. Following basic training in Missouri and an operational tour at Langley Air Force Base (AFB), VA, they were assigned to Dow AFB, ME. Through a curious sequence of events, Jess' brother Lloyd met Virginia's sister Mildred. Those two were an item before Jess and Virginia had even met. It wasn't long before Lloyd and Mildred began scheming to set Jess and Virginia up on a blind date, and all four rode to the move in Jess' new red Chevrolet. Virginia's first impressions of Jess were that he was good looking and well behaved, but she wasn't sure whether it would amount to all that much. That was in September 1941. From that rather non-descript beginning, Jess and Virginia's romance turned the corner and heated up a fever pitch! The courtship was well, fast and furious! It culminated in their marriage in January 1942. The wedding was a very simple one and took place in the home of the Methodist minister who performed the ceremony. There was no Best Man and only two witnesses; Virginia's sister Mildred and a dear aunt. By the time there ceremony was complete, all the restaurants in Old Town were closed, so there was no place for the famished wedding party to eat. Nor was there a honeymoon of any sort. But their wedding came just in time. Jess shipped out on military orders, leaving Boston on the Queen Mary (converted to a troop ship), bound for Sydney, Australia after only 18 days of marriage. They would not see each other again for 2 ½ years! Virginia shared a house with Mildred and worked in a rationing center in Old Town while Jess was gone. Jess did return safe and sound in 1944, whereupon he and Virginia headed to Florida for some well deserved R&R and a honeymoon of sorts. While there, he received two sets of orders-one set was for a base near Miami; the other was for Freeman Army Air Corps Base in Seymour, IN. Jess said, ""I've seen enough of Florida; let's go to Indiana!"" Jess' work on a base closure team located at Freeman sent him to numerous bases that were identified for closure following World War II. After the war, Jess left the military and considered settling in Idaho, where he and Virginia would purchase a ranch and raise sheep. However, startup prices were so high, he decided to reenlist and wait for prices to fall. He stayed in the Air Force for 27 years! It was during this phase of his career that Jess became passionate about food services. Nothing gave him more satisfaction that feeding the troops. There were assignments at Godman Field, KY, Holyoke, MA, and Washington, DC. Then came assignments to the Hickam AFB, HI, Bitburg and Spangdahlem, Germany, McConnell AFB, KS, and Warren AFB, WY. Jess served proudly as both food services officer and mortuary officer at a base in Vietnam. Following his Vietnam service, he retired as a Chief Warrant Officer 4 and became a food services manager at Lowry AFB, where he and his staff won the Hennessy Trophy for the Best Dining Hall in the Air Force in 1979. Along the way, Jess and Virginia had three beautiful children, Keith, Karen and Karla. Virginia says the most rewarding work she has ever done was that of being a mom to her children. Her greatest challenge in that regard was raising teenagers alone while Jess served in Vietnam. Besides here duties as an Air Force wife and mother, she volunteered for the American Red Cross. In addition to his distinguished service to our nation, Jess was recently honored for 50 years of service to the Masonic and Shriners organizations. Do the math and you will see that Jess and Virginia have been married 67 years this month! They have shared a lifetime of commitment and service together, yet they are remarkably laid back about it all. The next time you see this walking history book in two volumes, be sure to say hello-and thanks for setting such a great example for the rest of us.