Barbara Clark Gibbs died Saturday night Jan 5th at home surrounded by her family, of a wildly aggressive cancer.
She was born Nov 3, 1931 in Modesto, CA to Gordon Woolley Clark and Lucille Anderson Clark. Her father was a roadmaster and supervisor for the railroad. A few years after her birth the family moved to the small town of Portola, CA then to Winnemucca, NV then Elko, NV. Their lives were those common in a small western town--few neighbors, few luxuries, and long hours of work for everyone. After the war, the family decided it best to move to a town with a more religious environment and they moved onto a farm in American Fork, where all the family did the chores. Her father was then offered a job as the beet seed manager for Utah-Idaho sugar and then moved to St. George where Barbara attended Dixie High and Dixie College.
She was the class beauty queen as well as the class valedictorian. She graduated magna cum laude with honors from BYU with majors in English and History. She then went to work as the Executive Secretary to the Superintendent of the Clark County School District, who after a few months told her he could not pay her what she was worth as a secretary, and suggested she finish the necessary requirements to become a teacher, which she did.
While teaching, a mutual friend introduced her to her husband-to-be, William Gibbs, who was a legal officer at Nellis Air Force Base. Bill knew instantly he wanted to marry her and pursued her relentlessly. They were married a year later in the St. George LDS Temple by her Uncle, J. Reuben Clark, Jr. After Bill's term in the Service, they moved to Salt Lake where they started their family.
They have three children, William C. who married Elizabeth Dowell, who have five children, Whitney, Lauren, William, Madeline Eliza, and Graham; Wendy, who married Cliff Keeler, who have four children, Chelsey, Durban, Windsor, and Jaxon (living in Indiana); and Brigham who lives in Laguna Niguel, CA. She is also survived by her siblings, Craig (Ellen), Boyd (Barbara), and Mary Helen (Bill Calvert).
Barbara spared no effort in raising and supporting her children, and grandchildren. She attended all ski races, soccer games, football games, baseball games, chorus recitals, piano recitals, dance recitals, and everything else they performed. She was the PTA president for each of them in each grade and was a prime mover in the reconstruction of Ensign and Bryant schools. She was a master seamstress, who in the early years made all of her own clothes and those of her children. Each holiday she made fabulous dress creations for her granddaughters and pajamas for each of her grandchildren. Her house was always orderly, neat, and spotlessly clean. The family was always together for every breakfast and dinner which were made from "scratch," with a few reviews of spelling or math interspersed. She created "theme" birthday parties for each of her children and grandchildren, and annual parties for friends.
After her children were all in school, she went to work while they were in school and did the internal accounting for an accounting firm. She was the guardian of the family budget. Her church service included sending three children on missions, Primary teacher, Sunday School teacher, Young Wo-men's leader, piano accompanist, Relief Society Secretary, teacher, counselor, Ward Relief Society President, Stake Relief Society President, and General Relief Society Board Member. At her death she was a counselor in the Relief Society in the Branch at the LDS Hospital.
She was an extraordinary woman. She totally organized every project in writing, knew how each item was to be done, when it was to be done and was resolute that every item was done as planned and exactly on time. Her work was prodigious. She was up at 5:30 every morning and felt a real days work was not completed until after midnight, with every minute productive. She exemplified the best traits of her pioneer forebears and was a woman who will not be replaced for her family. For all who knew her, her life will be honored and remembered and we all will be everlastingly grateful.
Friends may call at the Larkin Mortuary, 260 E. South Temple from 6:30-8:30 p.m., Wed. Jan 9th and one hour before the chapel services Thurs. The funeral will be held in the LDS Chapel at 589 E. 18th Ave, 12 noon Thurs. Jan 10th. Interment, Salt Lake City Cemetery.