Virginia Jacobs Gibson

Virginia Jacobs Gibson

November 24, 1925 - November 23, 2021

Virginia Jacobs Gibson passed away peacefully November 23, 2021. She was holding the hand of her son, Todd. It was one day before her 96th birthday.

She was the tough stuff of eastern Colorado farmers. And she was very sweet and loving. She grew up in Brush, Colorado, where they raised sugar beets. Virginia was the youngest of five daughters born within seven years. She was predeceased in death by sisters, June, Lavinia, and Mildred and is survived by Thelma (98 years old). All the sisters went to college, as education was the way for these Germans-from-Russia to get ahead in their new country. Mother Molly, who emigrated in 1907, and father John, who arrived in 1912, were lucky to leave Russia before 1917. Virginia was almost four when the Stock Market crashed, and knew of that hardship growing up. It formed that generation. College was in Greeley and Fort Collins. She worked nights for the phone company, sleeping when the switchboard wasn't busy. Her degree was in Home Economics.

After graduating, she moved to Grand Junction. In her first year as a teacher, she met Marion Jacobs. They married in 1949, after "Jake's" summer band camp and before the start of school. Three boys followed: Stephen, Kent and Todd.

She taught, raised a family and traveled with the band and orchestra on their tri-annual trips. Music was an every day part of her life with Jake's music lessons every evening and on Saturday mornings.

Her Jake died too early in 1979, two years after his retirement. She later married Lee Gibson, a dear friend and former band parent, who died in 1989. They had seven wonderful years together, with lots of travels and gardening. She loved her roses and flower gardens. She continued to travel the world, visiting her parent's homestead in Russia after the collapse of the USSR.

One day she "couldn't get up from pulling weeds in the garden" and moved into independent living. Later she moving to Centennial to be near Kent and Stephen. She never had COVID, but, over the two years of isolation, her health failed from too much inactivity. She suffered pulmonary embolisms and couldn't recover her health. She had six grandchildren.

We will always keep her memory in our hearts.