Baker City, Oregon
Curtis John Gibbs, 72, of Baker City, died Oct. 31, 2006, at his home.
His memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Pastor Roger Scovil of the Baker City Christian Church will officiate.
Curtis was born on Jan. 1, 1934, to A. Elmer and Mariene Gibbs. He was born and raised on a ranch on the Oregon Slope and was a 1953 Weiser High School graduate.
Curtis came from pioneer families of Baker County. He loved his wife, Thelma, family and many friends. He loved life, his work and his visits from Milt Prowell and John Guthrie.
He mentored people in the community by his will to live and the way he lived his life. Curtis loved hunting on the ranch he grew up on, looked forward to it every year and missed it very much.
After graduating from high school, Curtis joined the U.S. Army. He served two years during the Korean War.
After his two-year duty, Curtis was paralyzed in an automobile accident and was in a wheelchair for 50 years. Curtis attended Boise State University. He later married Thelma. They had been married for 43 years.
Curtis was a Baker City businessman for 41 years. He was a 50-year member of the Elks Lodge and was a member of the chamber of commerce. Curtis received an outstanding director award in 1976. He cut the ribbon during the opening ceremony on the Whitney-Tipton Highway for Baker County.
“Curtis was the man he didn’t have to be,” his family said.
Survivors include his wife, Thelma J. Gibbs; his children, Mike Morrow, and his wife, Rene, of Haines, Elizabeth Neill of Baker City, James Ryan of Ontario and Laura Fuzi and her husband, David, of Baker City; several grandchildren and great-grandchildren; his stepmother, Mary Gibbs; his sister, Linda Cameron, and her husband, Vern, of Milwaukie; brothers, Duane Gibbs, and his wife, Roseanne, of Ontario; several nieces and nephews; aunts, Jesse Gibbs of La Grande and Eva Dockweiler of Baker City; and many cousins.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Mariene and A. Elmer Gibbs.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to the Baker Chapter of Pathway Hospice through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, November 6, 2006
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor