John Gibson

1940 - 2023

John Gibson

November 16, 1940 - October 1, 2023

Cambria, California - John Clark Gibson, 82, of Cambria, California transitioned from this life to the next on October 1, 2023 surrounded by his wife, Jane, daughters Liz and Rebecca, friends and family.

John was born to Millard Clark Gibson and Mary Ellen Gibson on November 16, 1940 in Salinas, California. His family then moved to Delano, California where he spent most of his youth. He graduated in the class of 1958 from Delano High School, and attended Menlo College in Atherton, California before graduating from Fresno State College. He married his high school sweetheart Jane Ellis in 1962 and began to work in the family businesses, Gibson's Irrigation Systems and Delano Rock Ready Mix Company, becoming President of both.

In his heart of hearts, John was a small town boy who made a big difference in the lives of those he knew. He was honest, hardworking, generous and a well-respected boss during his 40 year career, and was known for treating his employees with care and dignity. He served in many leadership roles at the Delano United Methodist Church and the Delano Elementary School Board. He loved choral music and sang in the church choir in Delano and then in Visalia after moving there in 1979.

In the 1980's, John was invited to participate in Class 10 of the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation. The two year program's mission is to grow leadership to strengthen California Agriculture. When he was a member, the work included traveling to Washington D.C. the first year and to China the second year, not long after China began to allow foreign visitors.

John was a well read, intelligent man who enjoyed reading the LA Times thoroughly every day. He was a Civil War expert who began serious study around the age of eight. He loved history and found humor in the quirks of times past. He was a collector of antiques, especially clocks, and at different times drove a Ford Model A and a 1936 Cord sedan. When his daughters were young, John was a licensed pilot and flew his family often to visit family, including across the country for vacations. He was known for his sharp wit and sense of humor and loved kidding around with his younger family members, earning himself the nickname of "Teaser".

His love for the ocean led to retirement in Cambria-by-the-sea, where he joined the Cambria Chorale and enjoyed many hours of singing with friends. To satisfy their sense of adventure later in life, he and Jane took many American Cruise Lines trips with their favorites being the Hudson River and Maine. John loved to go out to dinner; he and Jane enjoyed many meals in Cambria and enjoyed being with the people in their community.

John was a dutiful son and brother, devoted husband, caring father and grandfather and loyal friend and will be missed immensely. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Jane, his daughters Liz (Blair) Shahbazian of Roseville, CA and Rebecca (Jim) Utz of Ithaca, NY; his three grandchildren, Taylor Shahbazian of Elk Grove, CA, Mitchell Shahbazian of Santa Clara, CA, Linden Utz of Ithaca, NY and his sister, Marion Spicer of Jefferson City, MO. John was preceded in death by his parents, Millard and Mary Ellen Gibson.

A Celebration of Life will be held on November 16, 2023 from 2:00-5:00 pm at Cambria Pines Lodge in Cambria, CA. Please contact Liz at lshahbazian4@gmail.com with any questions about the celebration.