Frederick Gibson Obituary

Frederick Windle Gibson, died November 6, 2023 at the age of 83 years. Fred was born on June 9, 1940 in Coatesville, Pennsylvania.Fred is survived by his beloved wife Susan, son Frederick C. Gibson (Johanna), daughters Theresa R. Rogers, Cindy L. Carpenter (Vincent), sisters Gail Kowalski (Ken), Anne Marie Chapin (Dayton), and predeceased by son John C. Gibson. Fred loved his grandchildren Mason, Brent, Blake, Brianna Rose, Brittany, and Sophia; his many cousins, nieces, and nephews.Fred was an honorable, thoughtful and caring man to his family, friends and neighbors. He made friends quickly and easily and greatly enjoyed conversing about all things, very much like his own father. Fred was an extremely positive and joyful man. He was helpful to everyone he encountered and lived life to the fullest every day. His deep passion was for the water - racing sailboats double handed beginning in the 80's and winning in San Francisco Bay and, more recently, with his local Benicia crew. He enjoyed various regional yacht clubs, especially participating in their cruiseouts. Fred recently received the 2023 PICYA Roger Condon award on behalf of Treasure Island Yacht Club for his love of, dedication to, and support of the youth sailing program at Benicia Yacht Club (BYC).Fred was proud to have served his country in the US Army, after which he had an accomplished career with IBM having retired in 1995 after 30 years. He and Susan were active members of Almaden Neighborhood Church in San Jose where they enjoyed a strong sense of community.Fred loved sharing his happy memories of growing up at the Gibson family farm, Crest View, with his sisters, parents, aunts, uncles and cousins in Chester County, PA. He imparted many life lessons learned from the hard work and family values instilled during this time. While many stories filled us with laughter, he constantly instilled within all his trademark belief: "never take anything for granted".Fred and Susan moved from San Jose to Benicia in 2015 to be near the water. Their home buzzed with activity for frequent family gatherings and neighbors popping by for happy hour on the porch.Fred lived an incredible life and we are indebted to him for his love and wisdom. He leaves us with a lifetime of stories and wonderful remembrances. He will be missed by many.To make a donation or offer to volunteer: BYC-Youth Sailing, in memory of Fred W. Gibson, 400 East 2nd Street, Benicia, CA 94510. [email protected] will be a service and military honors held for Fred at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 22, at Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon, CA. To attend please arrive by 1:00 pm.