John Gibson

MADISON - John Warner Gibson went to heaven on Thursday, May 28, 2015. His family loved him to pieces. He was born on May 14, 1932 in Springfield, Illinois to Ralph M. Gibson and Dorothy Warner Gibson. His childhood was spent in Sibley, Illinois and Casper, Wyoming until his family moved to Middleton Beach Road in 1945. He graduated from Middleton High School in 1950, where he lettered in football, basketball, track, baseball and boxing. At the University of Wisconsin, he was active in Wisconsin Players, where he met and fell in love with Eunice Wiechman. They were married at Grace Lutheran Church in Oshkosh on September 3, 1955. John graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1956 and from UW Law School in 1961.
While he attended law school, he volunteered for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and worked as a page in the State Assembly. He was a regular driver for Senator William Proxmire in his special election campaign in 1957, he worked in congressional campaigns in 1958 and 1960, and also in John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign. From 1961-1964, he worked as a trial attorney at the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, DC; and from 1964-1969, he served as Assistant Program Officer at the United States Agency for International Development in Panama City, Panama. Living in Panama changed his family's life forever.
In 1969, John returned to Madison as Corporate Counsel for CUNA International and served briefly as Deputy District Attorney before opening his own law practice in 1971. John served as President of the Spring Harbor PTA, and worked hard to promote youth soccer in Madison. He was a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin and the Dane County Bar Association. After his retirement, he enjoyed taking writing classes and writing poetry. Five of his poems were published in Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets calendars and he published a small collection of his poems. He and Eunice enjoyed being part of the Madison-Camaguey Sister City Association, the Wisconsin Medical Project, the Madison-Arcatao Sister City Association, and the Colombia Support Network.
John is survived by his wife Eunice; his brothers Carl (Joanne) Gibson and Dan (Angela) Gibson; his sisters Ann (Jerry) Lindgren, and Mary S (Richard) Gill; daughters Laura Gibson (partner Jon Manchester), Ellen (David) Morris, and Nancy Gibson; sons Paul Gibson ( partner Stephanie Adler), and Patrick Gibson; and grandchildren Sara D�az Gibson, Jordi D�az Gibson (Mar Alc�zar Alvarez), Jennifer M. D�az Gibson, Mary Morris, Robert Morris, Samuel Gibson and Owen Gibson; great-grandson Ar�n D�az Alc�zar; and many wonderful in-laws, nieces and nephews. The family is very grateful to the members of Mt. Olive Lutheran Church who all looked after John as Alzheimer's Disease weakened and changed him, to the kind and gentle staff of Agrace Hospice, and to Dr. Jeremy Smith and staff and Dan Goldman at UW Health. Instead of flowers, please consider donating to the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County ( www.bgcdc.org ), to Mt. Olive Lutheran Church, or to a charity that you want to support.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Thursday June 4, 2015 at MOUNT OLIVE LUTHERAN CHURCH, 110 N. Whitney Way, Madison with Rev. Jason Zobel officiating. Burial will be in Forest Hill Cemetery. A visitation will be held from 4:00 - 7:00 PM on Wednesday June 3, 2015 at Cress Funeral Home, 3610 Speedway Road, Madison, and also from 10:00 AM until the time of the service at the church on Thursday.

Cress
Funeral and Cremation Service
3610 Speedway Road Madison
608-238-3434
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