Stephen Albert "Steve" Gibson

Stephen "Steve" Albert Gibson, 74, of Naperville, Illinois and formerly of Onarga, Illinois passed away peacefully at home in the company of his wife and daughters on Monday, December 15, 2025 after a courageous battle with a rare blood cancer, Myelofibrosis. He faced this disease with the same hard work and determination he put toward everything. He fought until the very end. Please do not feel bad if you didn't know he was sick; that was the way he wanted it. His wish was for his family and friends to carry on with life and not to worry about him.
Steve was born on April 3, 1951 in Paxton, Illinois, the youngest son of Mary (Kanosky) and Martin Gibson. He was called "Stevey" by his family and often "Reno" by his friends in Onarga. He graduated from Onarga High School in 1969. There he enjoyed playing sports like football and basketball, but was also focused on academics. He went on to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and graduated in 1973. Steve married his wife of 46 years, Aleta (McMurtrie) in 1979 and they had 2 daughters: Hillary and Allison. He had a successful career in sales with Teepak (later called Devro) where he worked for over 40 years. He obtained an MBA in 1997. He retired from his job in 2016 and enjoyed spending time with his wife and family, especially his 3 grandchildren who affectionately called him Baba. His other interests included taking care of his yard, working in his garden, and walking daily rain or shine. He loved to attend his grandchildren's sporting events including dance competitions, swim meets, and basketball games. He was very hands on and always took care of his girls and his grandchildren. His most joyful days were spending time with his wife and family: fishing trips to Canada with his brothers, vacations to Fort Myers Beach, Florida, or Memorial Days and family reunions in Onarga.
He was preceded in death by his parents Mary and Martin Gibson, one brother, Raymond Gibson; and one brother-in-law, Randy Cultra, who was just like an older brother to him. Besides his loving wife, Aleta Gibson of Naperville; he is also survived by two daughters, Allison Gibson of Plainfield and Hillary (Jack) Lafferty of Naperville; three grandchildren, Mary Kate, Sean, and Gavin Lafferty; two sisters, Many Anne Cultra of Onarga and Nancy Delaney of El Paso; two brothers, Dave (Barb) Gibson of Champaign and Mike (Pam) Gibson of Milford; and several special nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be on Tuesday, December 23, 2025 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the Knapp Funeral Home in Onarga. Funeral Mass will follow at 11:30 a.m. at Immaculate Conception/Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Gilman with Fr. Santiago Corona officiating. Burial will follow at the Onarga Cemetery. Steve was proud of growing up in Onarga and all of the fond memories made there. He enjoyed telling stories about the town's history. Memorials may be made to the Onarga Historical Society. Throughout his battle with cancer, Steve received many blood transfusions which gave him precious extra time with his family. Younger friends and family members are encouraged to donate blood in his honor.
Please share a memory of Steve at www.knappfuneralhomes.com. To send flowers to the family of Stephen "Steve", please visit our floral store.