Lillian Willene C. Gibbs
Published 1:50 am Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Lillian Willene C. Gibbs, 86, of Fairfax County, VA, formerly of Arlington, VA, on Sunday, August 4, 2013, passed away peacefully surrounded by family.
Born Lillian Willene Cuthrell on December 7, 1926 in Elizabeth City, NC. She lost her mother at age thirteen and helped raise her two younger siblings while living with her aunt. At age nineteen Willie met and married a handsome Naval Aviator and raised three children while enduring long separations and moving many times between stateside duty stations, several of them twice, in San Diego, CA, Norfolk, VA, Newport, RI, Birmingham, AL, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, PA and foreign postings in the Panama Canal Zone, Paris, France and Oslo, Norway, finally settling in Arlington in 1964. She was very active in her church for over forty years and volunteered for charities including Red Cross and Meals on Wheels. She left a long trail of good friends, fun times and fond memories.
She is survived by her sons, Thomas R. Gibbs (Cindy) and J. Michael Gibbs; stepdaughter, Elaine MacDonald; her older brother, Ralph Cuthrell (Bonnie) of Fairfield, NC; grandchildren, Anna, Michael, Zachary and Amanda, six great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, in-laws, good friend, Capt. Hugh Garvey, USN, (Ret.) and many other friends and relatives. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Anne, her husband, Capt. J. Edward Gibbs, USN, (Ret.), her younger siblings, Mollie and Charles, and her long term companion, Robert A. MacDonald.
A memorial service will be held at The Fairfax retirement community, Fort Belvoir, VA on Tuesday, August 20, 2013 at 2 p.m. Interment in Arlington National Cemetery at a later date. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations in her memory be made to St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church, 1830 Kirby Rd, McLean, VA 22101.
Bryan Funeral Service of Swan Quarter, NC is assisting the family locally.