Gary Gene GIBSON

1945 - 2022

Age 76 of Peterson, MN Passed away July 30, 2022 Gary Gene Gibson, 76, of Peterson, MN, was killed by a falling tree as he rode his tractor on a trail along Diamond Creek at his home, on a beautiful sunny morning July 30th. Gary was born December 5th, 1945 to Marjorie and Robert Gibson in Waterloo, IA. His childhood was spent in Iowa aside from the couple years he lived with his older brother, Gordon Gibson, and his wife, Carla Gibson, in Tucson, AZ. After graduating High School from Waterloo IA, he went on to study History and Philosophy at the University of Iowa in Iowa City while working as an orderly at the University Hospital. After college, Gary was drafted into the US Army and served in the Army Hospital in Monterey, CA. He had just gotten out of the Army, when he met the love of his life, Bonnie Flasch, on St. Patrick's Day at Donnelly's Pub in Iowa City, IA. They were married in Coralville, IA October 13th, 1972, and had three children, Garth Gibson (married Stephanie Smith), Vanessa Gibson (married Damien Hoffman) and Julia Johnson (married Sam Johnson) while living on their farm in Peterson, MN. They moved to Wyoming, MN for Gary's 22-year career as a Program Planner and "IT Guy" at Metro ECSU, where he made many friends. He worked to live, and filled his time playing and watching tennis, cross country skiing, photographing birds and landscape, and being the best dad ever. After retirement, Gary and Bonnie spent 12 years of bliss on their farm in Peterson, MN. Together they built a home in the bottomland, maintained a large garden and hosted many happy hours with friends on the front porch "stirring the pot." He loved music, history ("who needed fiction - you couldn't make this up"), arguing politics with ranting emails and group texts, his dog and cat, his home, and especially his brood. They traveled to and with their children and six grandchildren: Porter (15) and Aurelia (12) Hoffman; Odessa (11), Pearl (8) and Edmund (4) Johnson; and Maxwell Gibson (2). Grandpa Gary specialized in reading and telling stories, long walks and questionable advice. We will miss him always, remembering fondly his wry and witty sense of humor, constant kindness, louder-than-average outbursts, and love. To honor Gary, his family is hosting a Celebration of Life at his home, Saturday, August 13th. Other ways to honor Gray include donating to your local Land Stewardship Program, cheering for Novak Djokovic and showing your friends and family lots of love.