Tamea Monique Gibbs

A Celebration of Tamea’s Life will be held from 4:00pm until 7:00pm, Saturday, March 15, 2025, at Baldwin-Lee Funeral Home in Pearl. Life Celebration Services will be held in Ripley at a later date.

She was born March 3, 2000, in Davenport, Iowa. Most who knew her felt that Tamea was born an old soul and from an early age she was wise beyond her years. As a child when she accompanied her mom into the bank she didn’t accept the lollipop that was offered to her. No, Tamea asked for penny wrappers for the coins she diligently saved. Working as a teen at Huddle House she resolutely saved her earnings knowing she would need them for college and as an adult she unwaveringly maintained these saving habits. This conservative nature allowed Tamea the freedom to experience life on her own terms and she moved from Ripley to Pearl at the tender age of 20 to begin a successful career in the funeral ministry.

She was a graduate of Ripley High School where she played clarinet for the Ripley Tigers band. She was a 2020 graduate of Northwest Mississippi Community College where she was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Following graduation she began her apprenticeship for funeral directing/embalming at Baldwin-Lee Funeral Home in Pearl, passed the Funeral Service National Board Exam and received her Funeral Service License in 2021. In 2023 she was presented with her company’s Service Excellence Award for exceptional customer-centric service to the families she assisted.

Tamea was an amazing woman, a bright star in a dimly lit sky. Her quiet nature belied a wicked sense of humor and her soft demeanor masked an irrepressible determination. Loved and respected by friends, colleagues and clients she touched the lives of countless people.

In her free time she enjoyed attending plays, concerts, camping, crafting, pottery, and spending time with her friends. A talented artist she gifted most of her drawings and paintings to others. Tamea was the ultimate definition of a “foodie” and enjoyed trying any and all types of cuisine. As such her favorite holiday was, of course, Thanksgiving.

Tamea’s resilient spirit carried her through many of life’s trials and she was a warrior till the end. Our grief is tempered by the knowledge that she is now at peace.

Tamea is survived by her mother, Carolyn Gibbs and fiancée Michael Cox; father, Roberto DuFault; brothers, Roman Gibbs, and Nash DuFault; grandmothers, Brenda Gibbs Monroe, and Judy DuFault; aunts, Carmen Barnes, and Lisa Hansen and husband Joel; uncles, Kevin Gibbs and wife Allyson, and Tony Bombella and wife Maria; several cousins and extended family; her Baldwin-Lee family; and her fur babies, Apache and Daisy.

She was preceded in death by her grandfather, Fagin Gibbs; aunt, Kathryn Gibbs; great-grandmother, Mary Ella Brown; cousin, Shannon Tatum; and her beloved feline soulmate, Simon.