Roger Scott Gibbs

1924 - 2014

Roger Scott Gibbs, 89, of Concord passed away Jan. 1, 2014, at Concord Hospital.
He was born April 6, 1924 in West Carthage, N.Y., son of Charles R. and Grace P. Gibbs. During World War II, Roger served in the Pacific in the Army Air Corps. Returning from the war, he resumed engineering studies at the University of Michigan, graduating in 1949.
He started his career with the Air Compressor Division of Ingersoll Rand, moving his family to several company sites through the 1950s. In 1960, he became chief engineer of a much smaller air compressor manufacturer in Deerfield,, PK Lindsay Co. The portable sandblast unit Roger designed for the Lindsay company is still prized by gravestone engravers today.
Upon retirement, Roger enjoyed a life filled with volunteerism, music and family. He had numerous hobbies and passions, including playing his baritone horn in the Epsom and Henniker town bands, researching family genealogy, making reproduction tinware and in later years supervising the many projects on the family homestead. Roger volunteered at several historical museums as a demonstrating tinsmith at the Canterbury and Enfield Shaker villages. For the Belknap Mill Society, he restored the hydroelectric control panels for display and set up the working knitting machines. He built a working model of a vertical gang-saw mill for the New Hampshire Historical Society. Roger was a longtime member of the East Congregational Church.
He is survived by his wife of 11 years, Sally Benedict Gibbs; a son, Peter Gibbs, of Stafford Springs, Conn.; three daughters, Sarah Rath of W. Pawlet, Vt., Susan Kristoff of Granville, N.Y., Amy Kipphut of Concord; and grandchildren, Emily, Nick, Laura, John, Andrea, Nathan, Rachel, Heather, Jeffrey; nieces; nephews; and a sister-in-law and brother-in-law. He is also survived by four stepchildren, Susan Mott of Bolton, Mass., Jill Minter of Louisville, Colo., Donna Cuthbert of Concord, and John Benedict of Bethesda, Md.; and seven step-grandchildren.
He was predeceased in 2001 by Marjorie, his first wife of 51 years and mother of his children. His brothers, Charles Richard Gibbs Jr. and Robert P. Gibbs, also died in recent years.
The family wishes to thank Roger's many caregivers for their thoughtful and extraordinary care to help us honor his wish to continue to live at home.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014, at 11 a.m. at the East Congregational Church, 51 Mountain Road, East Concord. Interment will be at a later date.
Memorial donations may be made in Roger's memory to: Concord Regional Visiting Nurse Association, 30 Pillsbury St., Concord, 03301, or the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, PO Box 4527, New York, N.Y. 10163.
Bennett Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. Messages of condolence may be offered at bennettfuneral.com.