Charles Gibbs, Jr.

One of Glen Rose’s native sons has gone home. Charles Woodrow Gibbs, Jr. died December 19, 2021 after a courageous seven year battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 75.

Chuck, as he was known, was born in Amarillo, Texas but grew up in Glen Rose in the bosom of a large family of aunts and uncles, cousins, and friends. Whether working in the family Coke bottling plant with his cousins, gazing up at the nighttime sky with his little sister to teach her the names of the stars, or driving his truck on school property after hours to the chagrin of the principal, (Charles Sr.), Chuck was usually up to something. Easy with a smile, maddeningly cheerful, he played football, basketball, and baseball for the Tigers.

He attended the University of Houston after high school with an aim to become a pharmacist. A natural choice given his gift of a photographic memory and a desire to help people. It was here that a chance meeting occurred. Whether it was his dashing tuxedo or just plain love at first sight, Chuck met the love of his life, Debbie, who was in town to visit her sister. After a three-year courtship, and one breakup over a weekend where they realized they couldn’t live without each other, Chuck and Debbie were married on August 22, 1970. After their marriage, and his graduation with his master’s, Chuck became the youngest Director of Pharmacy at the famed Ben Tov Hospital in Houston.

It is no surprise by his love for family that in ‘73 Matt was born and Drew in ’75. He loved those boys to his dying day. He was interested in their lives, excited about triumphs, and hurt in any suffering. He would coach them, teach them, discipline them, laugh and cry with them, and altogether revel in them.  He was a wonderful, kind father. And why not?  He was a wonderful kind man.

In 1978, Chuck took a job as manager of the hospital pharmacy at Medical City in Dallas, and he would stay there for 37 years. Earning the respect of doctors and hospital staff, he could be seen many days walking the corridors saying hello to passersby, often by name. In Dallas, Chuck and Debbie built a life; church, DIY projects, and baseball games. He was helpful before it was cool, throwing his determination and joy into (most of) the projects that Debbie dreamed up. A best friendship/love affair of 54 in years in that required patience and work, and he was not afraid.

He was a small group leader at church, a green thumb, and loved, loved butterflies.  He would gather the caterpillars, before the cocoon stage, so they would be protected. And release day was the best. It makes sense, to see that butterfly fly away after a change so profound. A little miracle. It showed that change was possible, that we are more that we seem to be, and that someday we will all be changed. The same could be said about music. Playing it, singing it, leading it, listening to it. Be bold in your singing would sum up his approach. The Beatles were a constant subject (Team Paul) and later in life you would definitely hear the question, “Have you heard of this new band, “For King and Country?”

How does one encapsulate a life on paper? For Chuck, it would be in the small things. It wasn’t that he lived life small, but that he knew the value of a smile here, a prayer there, standing up for a co-worker, righting a wrong at his uncle’s funeral. These everyday things add up to a life well-lived. Big things pass and fade, but the meaning of a life happens in those individual moments of compassion and kindness that Chuck was so good at. He showed up and was “there.” He was that rare “Good Man” in a time of noise and self-interest.

In the end, there is faith, hope, and love. Faith in Jesus. Faith being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. His ongoing relationship with Jesus helped in his life, and realized the things hoped for in his death. He was a hopeful person, positive in situations, and expected that God was who He said He was. And he loved. He loved Jesus, and us, because God first loved him. His family knew that he loved them simply because he said it, he showed it, and he was present. He gave the time which matched up with his words. Laughing and loving, even in the hard times, this good, good man will be missed.

Preceded in death by his parents, Charles W. Gibbs and Winalee Sullivan Gibbs, he is survived by his wife Debbie, sons Matt and Drew, his stepmother Dorothy Gibbs, sister Marilyn Gibbs Jarvis and family, brother Jim Gibbs and wife, brother Joe Gibbs and family, and sister Jill Gibbs Johns and husband.

A Celebration of Life service will be held on March 5, 2022 at 2:00 pm at Allen Family Funeral Options. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Time To Revive at timetorevive.com or Faith Presbyterian Hospice - T. Boone Pickens Center https://www.forefrontliving.org/giving-opportunities/