Obituary published on Legacy.com by Lake Erie Cremation and Funeral Services on May 15, 2025.
David Lawrence Gibler, 71, of Madison, Ohio, passed away peacefully into the arms of his savior, Jesus Christ, on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at University Hospitals Cleveland, with his family by his side from complications of surgery.
He was born on June 11, 1953, in
Geneva, OH, he lived in Madison and attended Madison area schools most of his childhood years. Even as an adult, he lived out of the state of Ohio for a few brief years, he still always considered Madison his "hometown".
David was a "Jack of all trades", working at many different places with various occupations throughout his life. He installed roofing and siding on houses, did maintenance work at hotels and facilities, was a "Gunite" applier, worked on cars and trucks mechanically, helped "escort" wide loads over freeways and put roofing on church steeples. He loved to bake and cook and did both at several local restaurants and at home.
He loved gardening and the "self-sufficient" lifestyle and living off the land. He spent many long hours tracing his family history and ancestry and documenting it. David loved trivia and enjoyed watching Jeopardy, old movies, westerns and listening to "old time" rock and roll and country music.
He is survived by his sons, David Meister of Geneva, Brigham Layman of Geneva, Emory (Tracy) Laymon of Chardon, and Robert (Tiffany) Gibler of Pennsylvania; daughters, Paytra (Michael) Diffenbacher of Painesville, Leanne Comstock of Cleveland, and Cathy (Dustin) Jones of Warren.
David is also survived by seventeen grandchildren, Devyn, Ian, Damonich, Sebastian, Samuel, Anna, Ryan, Myla, Ellie, Maddox, Colton, Sophia, Emma, Kinsley, Conner, Benjamin, and Alex; and one great-granddaughter, Elizabeth.
Also surviving are his brother, Alan Gibler of Geneva; and three sisters, Debbie (Wayne) Grabelsek of Harpersfield, Laurie Tilson of Ashtabula, and Jennifer (Michael) Daniel of Bushnell, Florida.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Dorothy (Fenner) Gibler Stokes (David) of Geneva; father, Oscar Lawrence "Casey" Gibler of St. Joseph, Missouri; maternal grandparents, Arland and Pearl (Waite) Fenner of Geneva; paternal grandparents, John and Mary (Craig) Gibler of Davis City, Iowa.
The family would like to thank the medical ICU doctors and nurses of the UH Siedman Cancer Center for their dedicated care during his stay.
A celebration of David's life and calling hours will be on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, from 11am-1pm at Lake Erie Cremation and Funeral Services, 1500 Harpersfield Rd,
Geneva, OH 44041. Burial with a brief graveside service will directly follow at Fairview Cemetery, River St (528), Madison, OH 44057.
Lake Erie Cremation and Funeral Services, assisted the family with arrangements. www.LakeErieCrematory.com.