CORNELIUS O. GIBSON

CORNELIUS O'BRIEN GIBSON  
Cornelius O'Brien Gibson, passed away on September 17, 2015, in Greenbrae, CA at the age of 74 from complications following heart surgery. He was born on December 9, 1940 in New York, New York, the son of John Timberlake Gibson of Middletown, OH and Mary O'Brien Gibson of Lawrenceburg, IN. He graduated High School from St. Paul's School in Baltimore, MD and then attended the University of Virginia. He served in the Coast Guard in the mid 1960s and then owned World Affairs Bookstore in Washington D.C. with his Aunt, the late Anna Belle O'Brien.  He re-located to the San Francisco Bay Area in California over 35 years ago and raised his family there. A professional train collector and hobbyist, he owned one of the largest private O Scale train collections in the West. He was an expert craftsman, highly skilled at re-working model train engines. He created the vision for numerous model train landscapes the most elaborate of which included a re-creation of Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, NY. Often thought of as an eccentric personality, he was gentle, kind, and generous, and helped many friends realize their dreams.  He is survived by his two daughters, Allegra H. Gibson and Annabelle Gibson Reber, son-in-law William Reber, and two grandsons, Gus and Max Reber. A celebration of his life will be held in Tiburon, CA on October 3. In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to the American Heart Association.