Iona Louise Gibbons

Iona Louise Gibbons, 89, a lifelong resident of Wichita, Kansas; recently residing in Gardner, Kansas, passed away peacefully in her sleep Thursday, May 14, 2020. A graveside burial at Leavenworth National Cemetery will take place Friday, May 22, at 10:00 am. A private family gathering for the immediate family will be held in Olathe, KS on Saturday, May 23rd at 11:00 am. A Memorial Service for friends and family will be held in Wichita, Kansas at Central Community Church on a date to be determined once the restrictions of the Coronavirus are lifted.

Lou was born February 3rd, 1931 in Enid, Oklahoma. Lou and her sister, Dolores, were raised by their mother, Iona Marie Hallet. Lou graduated from Wichita East Highschool in 1950 alongside her best friend and sister, Dolores “Doe” Currie. She worked at Universal CIT in Wichita where she met her life-long friend, Rita Green. Lou met her husband of 65 years on a blind date arranged by, none other than Rita and Larry’s best friend Bob Green. Larry and Lou were married on a Friday the 13th in May of 1955. That gave them the excuse to celebrate their anniversary every Friday the 13th as well as every May 13th.

If Lou set her mind to something, she was determined to make it happen …. Even when it came to family planning. Upon getting married, she secretly told her best friend she’d like to have four children: a blond-haired boy, a dark-haired girl, a dark-haired boy, and a blond-haired girl. And that’s what she got. Lou cherished her children and grandchildren and she stayed at home to raise them. When the kids were older Lou helped Larry in his graphic arts business.

Lou was a lot of fun and always up for a good adventure. A young teenage Lou and her sister would ride the train to California in the summers to visit their father. They would take their very young cousins on trolley rides. Lou created unique experiences for the grandkids: a visit with the pilot in the cockpit, a ride on a firetruck, a visit to see animals unloaded from Barnum and Bailey Circus train, a trip by Greyhound Bus, trips to zoos, simple walks to feed the horse on Charles street… and the list goes on and on.

Lou was willing to take action for what she viewed as a good cause like when she opened the back of a dog-catcher’s van to let out the poor locked up dogs. Or when, upon returning 2 tennis rackets for her friend, Lou talked the JC Penney’s manager into giving her $40 only to find out the total cost of the tennis rackets was actually only $20. Or when she required her children to return all the gumballs they had stuffed in their pockets when the gumball machine broke.

Lou was very petite and was often seen as a sweet little lady with a quiet temperament, but though Lou looked innocent enough… she proved looks could be deceiving. Like the time when she slipped Larry’s driver’s license from the police officer’s clipboard causing the police officer to get so flustered he let Larry go without a ticket. Meanwhile Lou was nudging Larry urging him to drive away and not worry about the driver’s license.

Lou was very generous. If you were a guest visiting her home Lou would have a gift bag waiting at the door to send with you. She received special service from the trash collectors in return for the pop and candy bars she would give them. Lou did, however, have a reputation of skimping on tips.

Lou was a planner; she’d plan everything to the very last detail from family vacations to “This is your life”- themed birthday parties. She loved to host elaborate dinners. The hand-made sign stuck in the butter reading “this is real butter” was evidence of a special occasion. Lou was patriotic; she loved Uncle Sam and the good old red, white, and blue. She had a sassy sense of humor. She was full of energy and always on the go. When she was not on the go, she loved sitting on the porch with a glass of iced tea talking and praying with one of her loved ones. Later in life, she became a cat lover; the cats became her replacement “grandchildren”.

In the last years of her life, though Lou suffered dementia, she remained the same at the core. Her eyes would light up and she would greet you with a big smile, she would express gratitude for your visits, she would give pats of encouragement when you were discouraged.

At the core of Lou’s life was her faith. It was a simple faith, with a simple message. She would spread this message to whoever she met: to strangers in the grocery store, to nurses in the doctor’s office, to neighbors on Clarence Street, to the prisoners she wrote to, and to her family every day. She wanted everyone to know that “Jesus Loves you”! Lou will be missed greatly.

Preceded in death: Mother- Iona Hallett; Father- J.C Rainey; Sister- Dolores Currie; Granddaughter- Lauren Gibbons.

Survivors: Husband- Larry Gibbons; Children: Steve Gibbons (Jelly), Terri Russell (Keith), Vincent Gibbons (Katie), Janet Schick (John); Grandchildren: Devon Gibbons, Jasmine Boylan (Mike), Joey Schick, Paul Gibbons, Christina Schick; Great Grandson- Isaac Boylan; Brother-in-law -JC Currie; Nephew- Alan Currie; Niece- Linda Currie.

Donations to: Crossroads Prison Ministries or Beauty and the Beasts Cat Rescue.

Visits: 1

Condolences

  1. Vincent on May 21, 2020 at 8:39 pm

    Mom you had a long life and thank you for that.
    You were the perfect grandma. You helped develope a great appreciation of art and crafts in Lauren and introduced many friends to her. You listened to her, made new plans to make her time with you special. I envision her greeting you now into a place that she has crafted especially for you and will take you to meet people that are anxious to see you.



  2. Curt Robinson on May 21, 2020 at 9:39 pm

    My sincerest condolences to you Vincent. I simply loved reading all about the kind of woman your mother was. Sounds like an interesting character to meet! There are far too few people like her in this world. Cherish your memories of her and know that her and Lauren are your guardian angels now. What a blessing!



  3. roxanne bruce on May 23, 2020 at 11:17 pm

    lou,i will never forget you,you deepky touched me and my families lives.til we meet again..all my love..Roxanne Bruce



  4. Damon Sevart on May 25, 2020 at 8:47 am

    Lou was my second mother for many years of my life during my adolescence. She was very good friends with my mother and frequently at our house. She was fun, engaging, enthusiastic and always had a ornery gleam in her eyes.
    Some of my earliest memories are of Lou Gibbons. Jan, Vince and I were very close. I spent many nights at there house. I will never forget trying steak, for the first time, at their house that Larry had over grilled. I was probably 9 years old. As I was trying to cut the steak, mirroring what everyone else was doing, I accidentally through the steak across the kitchen. Larry was mortified. Lou quickly got up, threw the steak in the trash, graped a new piece and cut it up for me, all while trying to hold back laughter. I only remember one time ever seeing her upset. Yes, it was me, I admit, I was the bubble gum bandit. Lou gave us all a dime for the bubble gum machine while she went shopping. We found that if we put a dime in and kept turning, we would get an endless amount of bubble gum. We all stuffed our pockets full. When we got back to the car an confessed, Lou made us take the bubble gum back in and apologize to the store manager. She always had a way of presenting difficult things in a kind way.

    I moved to Oregon over 30 years ago and lost contact with Lou. She will always be rooted in my memories
    I love you Lou and will miss you!



  5. Melanie McClain on May 25, 2020 at 11:47 pm

    I loved Lou. I am glad I made the trip to see her and Larry a little while back. I got to see them together like I always remembered them. They seemed pretty content at that time. They were like parents to me as I knew them since I was in the fifth grade and lived with them for a year after I graduated from high school. Rest In Peace Lou and see you in heaven??



  6. Melanie McClain on May 25, 2020 at 11:51 pm

    Well, the site did not interpret my symbol above properly so I will state again, See you in Heaven Lou. Kisses.



  7. Melanie McClain on May 25, 2020 at 11:54 pm

    Well, the site did not interpret my symbol above properly (used a cross and it interpreted it as a question mark), And will not let me restate or correct it so, you all know.



  8. Sherri Skupa on May 26, 2020 at 6:38 am

    Jan. Your mom has a special place in my heart. I’m so glad she invited Maria and I to sit with her and Lauren that last day of school where we we both ate at burger king . she invited us to her home for popsicles after lunch. She’s been Grandma Lou ever since.



  9. Ruth Smith on May 26, 2020 at 5:10 pm

    I always enjoyed seeing Lou and I was so jealous of Vincent for having such a wonderful middle class upbringing – a lot of which I was sure was orchestrated by this little lady.

    Lou always seemed glad to see me and no matter what I was saying, she seemed to be so genuinely interested. That great quality followed through with her even when she was getting a bit older and a bit confused.

    She was a special lady and I’m so thankful for the time I got to spend with her.

    Rest well Lou.



  10. Terri on May 28, 2020 at 12:00 pm

    Mom
    You surprised me. I did not expect to hear you had passed. I am thankful that your passing was gentle. You went to sleep and awakened in a better place. Present with Jesus in His Love and embrace Who you are, all that you are in your deepest heart restored. No more memory loss. Fresh eyes that see better than you ever have. And many loved ones to see again.

    I will hold you in my heart. Appreciate the memories I have. The coolness of your hand against my fevered brow. Sick and staying home from school and playing crazy eights, than dirty eights to spice it up. The way you made the birthdays and holidays special. You even created one. Since there is a Mother’s day and a Father’s day you decided there should be a children’s day.

    All the many ways you cared for us. Meals and cleaning and rides to and from. Things that are so easily taken for granted. The many things you taught me about organizing, cleaning, cooking, life skills that I have found indispensable.

    You were ornery and quick to laugh. You enjoyed mystery movies, movies with kids, movies with Doris Day and Rock Hudson. You believed charity began at home. You were generous, especially with those you knew. You were a tremendous advocate of consumer rights. You became an advocate of animal needs.

    You loved Jesus. You knew He loved you. And you wanted every one else to know that Jesus loved them too.

    As I heard family and friends share their memories of you I discovered that we have a lot more in common than I realized. I knew I had a lot in common with dad. Now I know I have a lot in common with you. Thanks for all you gave. You are unforgettable.



  11. Audri Requena on May 29, 2020 at 6:44 am

    Aunt Lou even though your presence is gone, we know you are rejoicing with our Lord. You were always the kindest person. Never a harsh word. Just the sweetest person. Give Nana and Grandad a hug for me.



  12. Kathy Behm on July 23, 2020 at 7:18 am

    What I knew of Lou was a very kind, sweet gentle soul who in a quiet way would say words that would surprise you. When Larry needed to go into rehab, Lou was always asking Jan how he was and when he would come home. It was a very long time and since there were visitation restrictions, Lou waited and waited. But she does not have to wait any longer as they are together. There was a beauty about Lou. Being around her, she would express gratitude for the people around her. I saw no signs of bitterness. There is something very sweet about a person when you see this as they age and they do not choose the path of complaining, which would be easy to do. I think she took the high road. Though I did not know her this way, I know she loved to sew. I wish I could have done that with her. She loved her husband and her children, there was no doubt. People were valued over things. She loved her grandchildren!! The delight in her eyes when she would see them and the joy also to watch her great grandson as he quickly moved about the room was wonderful to watch. She left a wonderful legacy.



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