Delmar “Dean” D. Gibbs

PORTAGE  --  Delmar “Dean” D. Gibbs, age 81, of Portage, passed away on Saturday, April 19, 2014 at the Wm. S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital’s hospice unit in Madison, WI, after his year-long battle with pancreatic cancer.

He was born on March 3, 1933 in McLeansboro, IL, the youngest child of ten.  He was a 1950 graduate of McLeansboro High School.  He worked for his brother at his feed mill for a bit before entering the U.S. Navy in 1952.  His Navy career took him to many different countries on several Navy vessels.  He served honorably in both the Korean and Vietnam wars.  He was an instructor at Great Lakes when he met and married Rosemary Welsh in 1967.  He told her he would show her the world – East Coast, West Coast and Guam – he kept his promise.  In 1973, after more than 20 proud years, he retired from the Minesweeper Fleet in Charleston, SC as a Chief Petty Officer.  Dean and Rosemary then moved to Portage, and it was on to his next career working as an electrician at Columbia Energy Center until he retired in 1996.  After retirement, they enjoyed many good times and a lot of great friends during their trips to Florida for 17 winters.

Dean was an active member of the Portage Elks Lodge #675 for 32 years, Portage American Legion #47 for 40 years, and a life member of the Portage VFW Post 1707, and the Moose Lodge #2259, AmVets Post #21, and Eagles Aerie 4240, all in Sebring, FL.

Dean was an avid Pool player and started in the Portage Pool League in 1973, and played for many teams up until last year.  He enjoyed the many great friendships he made with his pool buddies.

He is survived by his loving wife of 47 years, Rosemary, and his three children:  son Michael, daughter-in-law Michele, granddaughter Courtney of Durant, Oklahoma;  daughter Amy, daughter-in-law Jacqui of Superior, Colorado;  son Jason of Wisconsin Dells.  Other survivors include his sister and brother-in-law Katherine (Don) McRoy of McLeansboro, IL;  brother Glenn of Homer, LA;  sisters-in-law Edith Gibbs of Carmi, IL and Zella Mae Gibbs of McLeansboro, IL;  brother and sister-in-law William and Shirley Welsh of Portage;  many special nephews, nieces and good friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Giles and Alma, brothers: Clyde, John Herman, Merril, Byford, Kenneth, Walter, and Ivan;  six sisters-in-law;  his father and mother-in-law Raymond and Thelma Welsh;  and his brother-in-law Patrick Welsh.

Funeral services will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, 2014 at the Pflanz Mantey Mendrala Funeral Home in Portage.  Burial will follow in St. Mary Cemetery.  Visitation will be from 1:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Pflanz Mantey Mendrala Funeral Home in Portage.  A Celebration of Life will be held at the Portage Elks Club from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, 2014, where a light lunch and refreshments will be served!  The Club will open at 3:30 p.m.

The family would like to thank the wonderful staff at Home Health United Hospice and the VA Hospital’s Hospice Unit for  their excellent care, friendship, and compassion for Dean and his family.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the family, and will be donated to the VA Hospice Unit, Home Health United Hospice, and the Columbia County Humane Society.