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wake service for Mary Clare Sharer Gibbs, age 91, of Pell City (formerly of Decatur), will take place on Wednesday, November 13, 2013, at Shelton Funeral Home (2105 Beltline Road, S.W., Decatur, AL 35601) with visitation from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., and a prayer service from 7:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. A funeral Mass will be held at Annunciation of the Lord Catholic Church (3910 Spring Avenue, S.W., Decatur, AL 35603) on Thursday, November 14, 2013, at 11:00 a.m. The family will receive friends for one hour prior to the Mass. Interment in Roselawn Cemetery will follow the service.
Mrs. Gibbs passed away Friday, November 8, 2013, at the Village at Cook Springs in Pell City. She was born to Abigail Conry Sharer and William Sharer in Winner, SD on April 6, 1922. She and her family moved to Wayne, NE in 1926. Following her graduation from Wayne State College in Wayne, NE, she moved to Washington, DC, where she worked for Capital Airlines. Later, she moved to Ames, IA, where she worked at Iowa State University. It was there that she met the love of her life, Gordon Thomas Gibbs. They were married August 27, 1949.
Mary was a woman of great faith, a devoted mother and grandmother, and a wonderful friend. She was a model of faith, strength, compassion, perseverance, and love to all who knew her. Granddaughter Caroline said one of the most important lessons she learned from Grandma was that “home isn’t a place, but that warm, content feeling you get when you’re surrounded by those you love, and who love you.” This sums up the feelings of all her children and grandchildren. In the words of many of her students, she was “the best teacher ever” and the reason many of them are teachers and successful professionals today. She taught at St. Ann School for 25 years, and continued to teach creative writing as a volunteer after her retirement.
She is survived by five daughters, Kathy Wells (Denny) of Pelham, Susan Toohey (Bob) of Federal Way, WA, Margie Jordan (Don) of Federal Way, WA, Elizabeth Thomaston (Phillip) of Pell City, and Bridget Keown (Gary) of Decatur; one son, Robert Gibbs (Frances) of San Luis Obispo, CA; 16 grandchildren, Stacey Wells Kaczmarek (Tom), Michael Toohey (Michelle), Lauren Toohey Nye (Greg), Margaret Ann Toohey (David Snow), Mary Ellen Toohey, Abigail Toohey, Kelsey Gibbs, Sara Gibbs, Hanna Gibbs, Samantha Gibbs, Caroline Jordan, Andrew Thomaston, Will Thomaston, Nicolas Simon (Reema), Trent Simon, and Ashley Rogers; seven great-grandchildren, Chelsey Long, Brittany Long, Chase Long, India Toohey, Sawyer Nye, Vivi Nye, and Maxwell Snow; and one great-great-granddaughter, Layla Robinson. She was preceded in death by her husband, Gordon; her son Charles Thomas Gibbs; two brothers, Jim and Cletus Sharer; one sister, Jean Ann Sharer Means; and her parents.
Pallbearers will be grandsons, Michael Toohey, Nicolas Simon, Trent Simon, Chase Long, Andrew Thomaston, and William Thomaston.
The family wants to thank the staff at Village at Cook Springs and Oasis Hospice for the loving care and comfort they provided.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to St. Ann’s School Foundation, Shriner’s Children’s Hospital of Greenville, SC, or a charity of your choice.
