Shirley Ann "Thalia" Gibbs-Jackson

Shirley Ann "Thalia" Gibbs-Jackson was born on September 10, 1954, the third child of nine children to the late Nathaniel and Lou Anne Gibbs in Folkston, Ga. Shirley was educated in the public school system of Charlton County and graduated in the Class of 1972. After graduating high school, Shirley's formal education began at South Georgia College in Douglas, Ga. where she pursued a degree in Art. After two years of college at South Georgia she was united in holy matrimony to the late Tommy Jackson and from this union one child was born, Fabrienne Jackson. They later parted ways and Shirley moved to Atlanta, Ga. and began pursuing a career in the apparel and textile industry as a Textile Engineer at Southern Technical Institute for four years before discovering that the clothing manufacturing industry had left the United States. Therefore, she changed career paths again to attain a BS Degree in Business Administration at Shorter University.

Shirley was an entrepreneur, the owner and operator of Pheonix Eco Fashions in Sante Fe, New Mexico (plant friendly fashion) a small business that she managed out of her home sewing and creating her own wardrobe as well as women professional and formal attire to include wedding gowns. Shirley also worked as a field engineer and technical writer for many years that tied in great with her ability and her dreams of designing and creating one-of-a-kind clothing, journal covers, scarves, denim woven baskets and jewelry since 2005.

During this time, she had moved from Jacksonville, Fl. to New Mexico where she was employed as a supervisor of the distribution department at the local Los Alamos newspaper, The Monitor.

While living in Los Alamos, she maintained an extremely busy lifestyle in which she became a member of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority and managed to incorporate an abundance of friends, travel to many parts of the world and maintain her connection with God. She always knew that the world was an abundant place and "We were called to be good stewards of the natural resources that were at our disposal."

On Tuesday, May 26, 2015 God called Shirley home to be with him. Our loving sister will be dearly missed by her family and her friends in Santa Fe and Los Alamos, New Mexico.

She leaves to mourn her passing: her daughter, Fabrienne Jackson, Huntsville, Alabama; one grandson, Dylan Maximus Jackson, Huntsville, Alabama; five brothers, Nathaniel Gibbs, Jr. (Mary), Macon, Ga., Earl Gibbs (Mary), Folkston, Ga., Alvin Gibbs (Kimberly), Middleburg, Fl., Danny Gibbs, Folkston, Ga., Kirt Gibbs (Ida), Tifton, Ga., three sisters, Carolyn Mincey (Ronald), Atlanta, Ga., Phyllis Sims (Bernell), Folkston, Ga. and Angela Arrington, Fayetteville, Ga.; four aunts, Minnie (Henry) Benefield and Celia Mainor, both of Folkston, Ga., Gloria (Cephus) Nicholson, Lacy, Washington and Bessie (Carl) Robinson, Stafford, Va.; three uncles, Wilbur Smith, Kingsland, Ga., Donald Sykes, Jacksonville, Fl. and Curtis Sykes, St. Petersburg, Fl. and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.