Billie Dibble

1932 - 2022

Billie Dibble
July 23, 1932 - May 1, 2022
Clovis, California - Born on July 23, 1932 (during the Great Depression that helped to shape much of her life) Billie passed peacefully on May 1, 2022, just shy of her 90th birthday. Our mother (and grandmother) was a brilliant and tenacious person, a gifted musician, and an active listener who spent countless hours quietly hearing her children and grandchildren pour out the trials and tribulations of their individual lives, then skillfully guiding each toward a satisfying solution or outcome.
Once all her children were in school, Billie returned to college and graduated to become a Registered Nurse. She worked for many year in the emergency room of the former Valley Medical Center. Later in her career, she trained to become the first EMT instructor in Fresno, whereby teaching the city's firemen how to apply emergency medical help quickly when needed. Nowadays, Emergency Medical Technicians will arrive the moment 911 is called, but back in the early 1970s, the service was non-existent before Billie began instructing the firemen.
Mom was clever and witty, always ready to share a great belly laugh with the people she loved. Cooking great feasts for her family during the holidays was one of her passions; every family member has delightful memories of family holiday gatherings that always drew the family together. Mom (Grams, Grammie) was a classy lady who taught her offspring how to behave in an elegant, but unassuming, manner. She even taught the boys in the family how to be helpful gentlemen by greeting people with alacrity and even learning how to set a proper table for the family holiday feasts.
Billie was an independent woman who welcomed autonomy in her children by allowing them to make their own decisions, even if the path taken proved wrong. She also had a great love of flowers, spending hours working in her garden, such that all her properties, large and small, had a profusion of color and beauty bursting forth from the ground, all lovingly tended and nurtured by Billie. Additionally, our mother spent countless hours playing the piano. Being a master pianist from a very early age, Billie went on to perform with jazz bands and other musical groups during her youth. She was an accompanist for numerous singers and dancers and gave piano lessons while raising her young children. Arthritis slowed her piano playing down, but she continued to enjoy attending symphony concerts throughout her entire life.
Our matriarch was an exemplary wordsmith who was constantly in search of the perfect phrase for each situation. Mom passed her love of words to her kids and grandkids by challenging them to some intense games of Scrabble or lively rounds of Boggle. And she was hard to beat, always wanting to remain #1.
All in all, Billie Dibble touched so many lives and created an indelible imprint on everyone she met. She will be greatly missed.
Billie is survived by her children: daughter Charlene McElhaney (Terry), sons Ted Dibble (Chris), and Tom Dibble (Monica); grandchildren: Cassie Weibert (Nate), Mary-Anne Dibble, Sean McElhaney, Alex Dibble, and Chad McElhaney; and 3 great-grandchildren.
There will be a graveside service at Clovis Cemetery on May 24, 2022, at 11:00 in the morning, with a reception at Cassie's house immediately following. Please join the family in rejoicing Billie's long life.