Obituary: Gibbs, Flora Effie
Age 96
Flora Effie (Heath) Gibbs was born April 28, 1915 in Kendrick, Idaho, daughter of Newton and Mildred Heath and died March 15, 2012 in Spokane, Washington.
She was 96 years old.
She left her home on a farm near Juliaetta, Idaho at 14 years old to attend high school in Moscow, Idaho.
She stayed on to get her teaching credentials at the University of Idaho in the early 30’s and began teaching in one-room schools at Agatha, Union, Arrow and Culdesac, Idaho.
At the beginning of WWII, she went to Washington, D. C. to work at the Pentagon as a civil service employee supporting the Marine Corp. She decided to go to Alaska in 1943, where her brother was working, to work in the personnel office at Fort Richardson near Anchorage.
There she met and married Forrest (Frosty) L. Gibbs, Sr. after his discharge from the Army.
They moved to Spokane in 1946 where their sons, Scott and Tim, were born.
She taught third grade at Field School near Shadle Park and later transferred to Lewis and Clark High School where she taught business and distributive education classes.
She earned a Masters Degree in Education from Whitworth College in 1967 and retired from teaching in 1970.
She was proud of her career as an educator and always enjoyed her students and fellow teachers.
She and Forrest enjoyed traveling around the country from campground to campground.
They drove up the Alaskan Highway to Anchorage and back to Spokane camping in a tent.
They later crossed the entire country to Florida and back camping along the way in their trailer.
They spent many winters at Overton near Lake Mead in Nevada and in Phoenix, Arizona near Forrest’s brothers.
They were very active in the Roll Rollers rock-hounding club in Spokane and they always looked forward to trips to collect rocks with the club for the jewelry Forrest made during the winter months.
Forrest and Flora enjoyed the senior center dances around north Spokane and Flora continued to attend the senior center and church events with her many friends after Forrest’s death in 2003.
She loved her independence, her home, her family, her neighbors and all her friends from the senior center and her church.
She was preceded in death by her husband Forrest and son Tim Gibbs, and her brothers Edgar, Gene, Donald and Gordon Heath.
She is survived by her son, Scott Gibbs, and sisters, Evelyn Evans, Fay Twiford, Inez Inghram and Norma Rugg and brother, Lee Heath.
A memorial service will be held at the Whitworth Presbyterian Church on April 7, 2012 at 1:00 pm to celebrate her life.
In lieu of flowers please make contributions in her honor to the North Star Senior Center, 8415 N Wall St., Spokane, WA, 99208.