Roberta Pearson Grymes Gibson

1936 - 2021

GIBSON, Roberta Pearson Grymes, known to all as "Pearson," 85, of Richmond, Virginia, passed away peacefully on Friday, May 21, 2021, having spent the day with loved ones, after a courageous battle with a long illness.

Pearson was born on March 2, 1936 to Robert Page Grymes and Roberta Pearson Bridges Grymes in Richmond. She attended Collegiate School for Girls in Richmond and excelled as an athlete, having been selected to the Virginia All-State Field Hockey Team and the Richmond All-City Basketball Team, and eventually being inducted into Collegiate's sports Hall of Fame for field hockey. In 1954 she left for one year at Longwood College, followed by another year at the Nursing School at the University of Virginia. She then attended the Pan American Business School for a career in the securities business.

Pearson spent several years in San Francisco working in the financial services industry, which she thoroughly enjoyed. Upon returning to Richmond from California, she went to work for Anderson & Strudwick.

After returning to Richmond, she met George Dandridge Gibson, a senior partner at the law firm of Hunton, Williams, Gay, Powell & Gibson. They were married in 1966. Over their 22 years of marriage, Pearson and George remained utterly devoted to one another. With Pearson in the lead, they entertained countless guests at their home in Richmond. They also travelled the world, visiting every continent except Antarctica, experiencing and appreciating the art and culture of dozens of countries.

Along with travel, their other great passion was the ballet. George was one of the original three incorporators of the Richmond Ballet in 1963, and Pearson began serving on the Ballet Board in 1975. She served as President of the Board when Stoner Winslett was recruited to come to Richmond in 1980. While on the Board, she served the Ballet in a myriad of ways, including running the box office the early days to the leadership of fundraising committees.

Beyond her official offices and duties on the Ballet Board, Pearson was the unofficial hospitality chair for the Richmond Ballet from the 1970s until her recent illness. She hosted parties in her gracious home for dancers and ballet enthusiasts, housing so many guest artists for the Ballet that her home affectionately became known as the "Chez Gibson." She established a famous "Richmond tour" that she would offer to all Ballet guest artists which entailed a scenic drive around the historic parts of the city and always started or ended at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts for a personally guided gallery tour and lunch. She made many lifetime friends internationally through her hospitality.

She travelled to New York and London to support the Ballet company on tour and was a generous donor to the Ballet. One of her most famous gifts was the growing Christmas Tree for the Nutcracker scene. She served as a member of the advisory board of the School of American Ballet in New York, and in 2015 was elected a trustee emerita of the Richmond Ballet, the highest honor the Company can bestow on a trustee.

After George passed away in 1988, Pearson continued her work with the Richmond Ballet, travelled and shopped with her adoring granddaughters, Beth and Anne, and adopted her glamorous Shih Tzu companions Lindy and then Nicky, both of whom she spoiled shamelessly! She remained extremely loyal and generous to her friends and family.

Pearson was predeceased by her parents, Robert and Roberta; and her husband, George. She is survived by her brothers, Robert Page Grymes Jr. and John Randolph Grymes; as well as her granddaughters, Beth Smith and Anne Hayes. Graveside services will be held in Hollywood Cemetery on Friday, June 4, at 3 p.m. In the event of inclement weather, the service will be held at Hollywood Mausoleum's Palmer Chapel. A reception will be held afterward at the Westhampton Clubhouse of the Country Club of Virginia. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Richmond Ballet.