Harold Hibbs

Harold Hibbs was a kind and generous person who cherished the time he spent with family. He was born December 9, 1928, in Springfield, Illinois. Raised alone by a single mom but with cousins for good company, and with much freedom to roam that small city, he very much enjoyed his childhood during the Great Depression, he later said.

During ninth grade, Harold relocated to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he lived with his aunt and uncle. He made many friends at Thomas Jefferson High School and played on the football team. He would attend quite a few class reunions over the next half century. Upon graduation in 1946, Harold joined the US Navy for two years and was stationed in Illinois and California.

After his service, he returned to Council Bluffs, and two major developments followed: Thanks to the GI Bill, he made plans to enter Oklahoma A&M to study chemical engineering; meanwhile, he struck up a romance with a high school classmate, Ella Mae Knauss. They married in 1950 and started a family during his college years in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

His degree in hand, Harold and Ella Mae and their one-year-old son moved to Kingsville, Texas, in 1952, for a job with Humble Oil & Refining Company (later Exxon). For the next 34 years, they raised their family as the company moved him to higher positions in Corpus Christi, Houston, Tyler, Kilgore, Beaumont, Tomball, and Houston again. Along the way, while adding another son and a daughter, they were active in a Presbyterian church at each stop.

Harold and Ella Mae contributed to their children’s education as PTA officers and international student exchange sponsors and by supporting them through college. They also enabled their children to participate in organized sports, scouting, swimming lessons, and piano lessons. Each summer, they took the family to Iowa to spend time with Harold’s aunt and uncle and Ella Mae’s parents, as well as a growing number of Knauss relatives.

By the 1970s, the family began to expand through marriage, and the couple became grandparents. In 1986, during a challenging time for Exxon, the company offered Harold early retirement, which he accepted. He and Ella Mae stayed busy with their children and grandchildren, with charity work, and with travels around North America and Europe. In 1990, they started an annual tradition of gathering the extended family for an early-summer weekend at Mo-Ranch, in the Texas Hill Country.

In 2008, Harold and Ella Mae left Houston to live at Independence Hill retirement community in San Antonio. She was suffering from dementia, and he devoted his time to caring for her in their apartment until her death in 2011. After that, he had more time to make friends at Independence Hill, while, at the same time, his extended family treasured his company for 15 more years. The Mo-Ranch weekend has continued to highlight everyone’s year.

Harold passed away at home on September 16, at the age of 97. He was preceded in death by wife Ella Mae, mother Ruby Canfield, Aunt Mary Hoffa, and Uncle Robert Hoffa. He is survived by sons Doug Hibbs (Diana) and David Hibbs (Dolores) and daughter Carol Lawlor (John). Further, he is survived by seven grandchildren: Richard Hammond, Darren Hibbs (Sarah), Stephanie Osborne (Greg), Mari Van Sickle (Ben), Rose Hibbs, John H. Lawlor (Kristin), and Joe Lawlor (Anna). He also leaves 15 great grandchildren.

His family and friends took joy in his loving nature and positivity. They know that if you could ask him how he’s doing right now, he’d say, “Terrific!”

A Memorial Service for Harold will be held on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at 11:00am at San Pedro Presbyterian Church, 14900 San Pedro Avenue, San Antonio, Texas, 78232.

Harold’s memorial service will be live-streamed for those who would like to join us remotely. Here is the link to the memorial service. It will show the correct live stream on Saturday. San Pedro Memorial Service

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to San Pedro Presbyterian Church (www.sanpedrochruch.com) or Presbyterian Mo-Ranch Assembly (www.moranch.org)