Jacob was born June 6, 2000 in Loma Linda, California. At age 11 he was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer; he spent the rest of his life fighting against the extremely painful and gradually crippling disease. Through it all Jacob amazed everyone around him by keeping a cheerful attitude no matter what trial he was currently going through. In fact, he loved looking for people who seemed sad so that he could go and cheer them up. He'd listen to their problems then tell them about his, always emphasizing that he was living proof of God's miracles because of how often he had cheated death and how blessed he was to be able to physically do what he still could. Jacob was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and loved sharing the gospel with anyone who would listen. He wanted to serve as a full time missionary, but was physically unable to do so - he now serves God on the other side of the veil. Jacob, with tremendous help from his teachers and school administrators, proudly graduated from Hutto High School in 2019 despite the many absences caused by his numerous surgeries, procedures and treatments. He loved his wonderful, caring medical team as well, and came to feel that Dell Children's Hospital was a home-away-from-home.
Jacob is survived by his parents, Scott and Gwen Gibbons, and three sisters, Sarah, Elizabeth and Rebecca, as well as all four grandparents and a host of uncles, aunts, and cousins.
Visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Taylor, TX, with the funeral to be held immediately after. To celebrate Jacob's life, a luncheon with board games (because Jacob hated seeing people sad, and wanted to always cheer them up) will be held from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. Jacob's family has requested that the graveside service be for family members only.
In memory of Jacob's greatest desire, to serve a mission for his Heavenly Father, the Gibbons family requests that anyone who feels inclined and is comfortable doing so make a donation in Jacob's name to the missionary fund of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in lieu of flowers. Donations can be made at the following link: https://ldsp-pay.ldschurch.org/donations/church/missionary-fund?cde2=807-home&fbclid=IwAR2gfWvI9PBlx5n1Q6lsmOatoKLUPzE019YnC4LTRHjJSFx0QZroC3jcuLk
