Therese Marie Gibson

Thank the Lord for thee, Therese and for the 91 years her life did give us; almost 3/4 as our mom.

Her impact; a mother's heart will stay always with us.

Even as I eat, I am reminded of her; her China I possess.

Ready always to forgive, was she.

Each one of 5 and others related and not know her ways imprinted on our lives forever.

Sacrificial; always generous, going without for the household.

Evermore in our hearts; a wife of noble character [Proverbs 31: 10-31]

Therese Marie Gibson, age 91, of Fresno, California passed away on Saturday, June 24, 2023. Therese was born in Racine, Wisconsin to Rosa M. Russell and Elmer Francois.

Therese is survived by her spouse, Lyonel L. Gibson; Sylvia Gibson, Gloria Bravo, Lydia

Pascale, Colleen Vincent, and 6 grandchildren who by name are Nathan Gibson, Danielle Gibson, Ethan Vinent, Allison Vincent, Matthew Bravo, and Jordan Bravo. Her younger sister, Rita Selin also survives her. Suanne Gibson is the first of the 5 daughters whom mom will join in heaven.

Therese was preceded in death by her daughter Suzanne Gibson; her father Elmer Francois and her mother Rosa M. Russell.

Therese Gibson received a rich, classic education in her elementary and jr. high years during her parochial school days. She attended High School at Foster High in Seattle Washington. At this time all graduates in the year of 1949 were called 49ers! Mom went to work instead of attending her senior year which was very common in those times. She spoke of the years in her home growing up, how her and her three special sisters sang together frequently while washing dishes, etc.

Therese worked as a waitress in her young teen years and then as a young adult for the Seattle Times Newspaper supervising those in the photography department and often standing in to pose with out of country visitors and dignitaries for newspaper articles.

She met Lyonel L. Gibson at Wings of Healing Bible College in Portland Oregon

and they were married in Portland Oregon on August 17, 1954.

Therese and her husband, Lyonel, traveled to Ogden, Utah and had their first child in Santa Barbara, CA where they reached out to the homeless population.

Later Therese and her new husband moved to California, living in cities including: San Diego, Perris, and Clovis; finally settling down in Fresno, California

to live out the rest of her days in the fertile valley of Central CA (heat and all).

She was a devoted homemaker until the early 70's when she drove handicapped adults to and from their place of work using Association of Retarded Citizen station wagons and vans. She later took Medical Terminology Coursework to become a medical transcriptionist. She worked at a variety of doctor offices and hospitals getting to know the world of medicine with her fabulous English grammar and vocabulary skills.

Her long slender fingers could fly over the keyboard typing 70 wpm and she was amply rewarded with a collection of work badges for entry through the front doors of medical institutions. A few of those medical institutions were Valley Medical Center and Cedar Vista Hospital in Fresno, CA. As she aged, she was able to do this work from home. She had learned computer skills on the Wang which eventually turned into WordPerfect.

Therese Gibson was a selfless servant to her family and friends. She helped her grown- up daughters with grandchildren, gave spousal health/spiritual support through countless hours traveling back and forth to Stanford Medical Center. She helped her eldest daughter as a caretaker through years of health crisis' both when she was a young child with heart problems and as an adult in her 50's. Her youngest daughter was awarded a medical scholarship to pursue her career and was given monetary support through mom's tireless efforts keeping up with her doctor visits while simultaneously taking countless logistical steps with never ending twists and turns navigating the healthcare system. It became her hobby and since There was a talker, she talked medical and hospital jargon in her sleep.

Her joy was sewing halloween costumes for her grandchildren. She made pantsuits for herself and daughters, aprons, and other articles of clothing. She spent many hours repairing hems, patching tears and replacing buttons for everyone. She loved reading the classics to her daughters and helped her granddaughter learn to read. Ordering crafts kits and making them with her daughters created fond memories. When mom took time away from chores she would draw and color amazing pastel art work.

As a young child in parochial school she played Cello. It was dragged through ice and snow and up hills as a child in Racine, Wisconsin. As an adult her opera trained voice and command of the autoharp took her into many women fellowships during the Charismatic Movement in the church world. This trained voice was her trademark inside the home, delighting the daughters that recall the home always filled with her singing and playing the autoharp. There were always mounds of records to play on the record player that she had picked out for herself and the children. She loved to bake and cook. Everyone loved her lemon meringue pie and pumpkin pies. Her fried chicken was "finger linkin' good". At Christmas she would stay up almost all night wrapping gifts and preparing the desserts and food. Those beloved popcorn balls and that homemade fudge were our favorite stocking stuffers. She had the true heart of a sacrificial mother. She was a perfectionist, keeping the home clean; the yard emptied always from weeds and leaves by her love for the soil and certainly training her daughters to do the same. Her greatest trait was her modesty/humility concerning her many talents. For example, she was learning to speak French and never told a soul except one granddaughter.

We are proud that she is among those counted in with the "Greatest Generation".

We will all miss our beloved mother and friend so very, very much and some of us believe we will one day see her again where she is in no more pain, no more sorrow, no more tears and no more scoliosis. We don't know how she managed to keep busy with that curved affliction in her back for at least 2 decades, never complaining, but that was Therese's dignified way.

Her Proverbs 31 essence will always be with us and her beauty was both inside and out. She was a faithful wife that had a work ethic of a work horse and a saint all the days of her life, until she was not able, due to the sarcoma cancer that caused her to breathe her last precious breaths on this earth. We know she was ushered into the gates of heaven as a believer in Jesus Christ and child of the living God whom she worshipped and adored more than life itself.

Therese was an avid and speedy reader of books and magazines and regularly read the Holy Bible. She clung to the devotional called Streams in the Desert during her working/homemaker years. The verse that inspires the title is a promise she held dear:

"Behold, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming.

Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness and streams

in the desert. Isaiah 43:19"

Her desire was that we would all drink often of the "living waters" that carried her through the courageous journey of life, quenching her thirst during

times of suffering, sorrow, and sacrifice. She would be the first to tell you that "In sorrow there is holy ground." (Oscar Wilde)

Goodbye for now, dearest mother and faithful companion..."Happiest of Trails to you until we meet again".

(Roy Rogers and Dale Evans)

Mrs. Gibson also leaves behind numerous family and friends to cherish her memories.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.tinklerfuneralchapel.com for the Gibson family.