Aubrey Jeanne Gibbs, 99, of Richmond, IN, died peacefully in her home at Friends Fellowship Community on Sunday, April 20, 2025.
Jeanne, as she preferred to be called, was born Feb. 11, 1926, in Mineral Wells, Texas, to Sim Joe and Aubrey “Aubrigean” Bowden Fletcher Smith. The family then moved to New Rochelle, New York, where she became an avid reader, played the violin, performed in plays and musicals, and served as a summer camp counselor at Camp Norfleet in Vermont.
She graduated from New Rochelle High School in 1943. She returned to Texas to attend Texas Christian University, graduating in 1947 with a Bachelor of Science in education. She then earned her master’s degree in education from Columbia Teacher’s College in New York City and taught second grade at Daniel Webster School in New Rochelle for five years.
During those five years, she married the Rev. Wallace “Wally” Gibbs, an assistant pastor at the Presbyterian church where she was a member in New Rochelle, on June 29, 1951. A group of her students came to the wedding. Her daughter Cheryl, named after one of her students, was born in New Rochelle in 1954. Her daughter Catherine, named after Jeanne’s paternal grandmother, was born there in 1957.
Wally, Jeanne and their girls then lived in many places throughout the United States, as Wally followed his calling in the church. At various times, the family made their home in Hollis, New York;
Flagstaff, Arizona; Camp Hill, Pennsylvania; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Cypress, California; Tempe, Arizona; and San Bernardino, California. Jeanne survived two bouts of breast cancer — the first when the family lived in Minneapolis, and the second when they lived in Cypress.
After Jeanne was widowed in 1981, she went to work for the San Bernardino National Forest, where she taught herself how to use computer editing and layout programs to put together the forest’s “Bear Facts” newsletter for many years. After she retired, she moved to Bradenton, Florida, to be close to her brother, Sim Joe Smith, Jr., his wife Marilea Hanson Smith, and their children.
She moved to Richmond in 2016 to be close to her daughter, Cheryl. Since 2017, she had lived at Friends Fellowship Community, where she enjoyed teasing the chefs, dining room staff and drivers; playing bridge; visiting with her beloved health care aides and nurses; and reading novels — especially those set in Amish communities. She also fawned over many a staff member’s baby pictures.
She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law Cheryl Gibbs and Michael “Mickey” White of Richmond; daughter and son-in-law Catherine Gibbs and Donald Nelligan of Cleveland, Georgia; two granddaughters and their husbands, Mallory and Brandon Nonnemaker of Flowery Branch, Georgia, and Chloe and J.M. Kidd of Athens, Georgia; grandson Liam Wallace Gedney of Cleveland, Georgia; great-grandsons Finley Nonnemaker and Fletcher Nonnemaker, and great-grand-daughter Aubrey Kidd.
Her family would like to express tremendous love and deep gratitude for the astonishingly excellent, consistent care Jeanne received from her extended family of caregivers at Friends Fellowship Community. It would be impossible to list all the aides, nurses, chefs, dining room servers, activity staff members, maintenance staff, chauffeurs, housekeeping staff, administrators and other staff who made her last years so enjoyable and comfortable — but we hope they are smiling if they are reading this.
A Celebration of Life open house and service will be held starting at 2 p.m., Saturday, May 24, in the Community Room at Friends Fellowship Community, 2030 Chester Blvd., Richmond. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to Friends Fellowship Community’s scholarship fund, or that you donate a book, some of your time, or some money to your favorite library, in memory of Jeanne.