Lu Ellen Gibbs

Lu Ellen Evans Gibbs Lu Ellen Evans Gibbs died suddenly on June 18, 2005. She was born May 7, 1917, to Rev. and Mrs. J.E. Evans. She was a graduate of Galveston Ball H.S. and Texas Christian University. In 1940, while working for Gulf States Utilities in Huntsville, she met and married Phil Gibbs, who left her a widow in 1975. She is survived by two children, Mary Laura and Donald (Scotty), both of Walker County. Mrs. Gibbs is also survived by a sister, Dorothy Bock of Maryland, and by five grandchildren, Noah, Ben, Seth, Tim, and Ruth. She was preceded in death by her youngest sister,Ruth Evans. There was hardly a civic or charitable group in Huntsville untouched by her generosity. She served on the boards of Region VI, the Huntsville Memorial Hospital Board, the Methodist Retirement Center, Planned Parenthood, and the Texas Prison Museum. She was a charter member of the Study Club and Elkins Lake Women's Golf Association. She was on the board of the J. Philip Gibbs Centre for the Performing Arts in which she had a keen and defining interest. She succeeded her husband as Chairman of the Board of First National Bank, and believed that any business meeting over one hour was too long. As a young woman, Lu Ellen took and developed many striking photographs, most notably of her mother's native West Texas. (Not long ago, she attended the opening of an exhibit of Wight family history at the Porter House Museum in Odessa.) She met Phil through their involvement with Huntsville's original Community Theater, and she continued to support the arts in Huntsville both privately and through the Old Town Theater and the Arts Commission. She earned the Master's Degree in English at Sam Houston State Teachers College, supported many scholarships there, and was elected a distinguished Alumna. She founded and supported the President's Distinguished Lecturer series on the campus and took enthusiastic pleasure in the University's golf and softball programs. A keen athlete herself, she considered the Lu Ellen Gibbs Open Golf Tournament among her very highest honors. She and her husband played tennis, and she bowled, swam, and played badminton; but golf was her joy. On television, she watched the Astros win one on the last evening of her life, and she had plans to attend a game at Minute Maid Park this week. Until the last weeks of her life, she personally delivered newspapers to every patient at Huntsville Memorial Hospital every Sunday morning before attending the early service at First Christian Church. A devoted member of that Church all her life, she gave her full support to their every activity and project. Her health declined in recent months, and for the past ten weeks she enjoyed temporary residence at Carriage Inn, where the friendliness of staff and residents did much to brighten her life while her home was undergoing renovation. A memorial service will be held at First Christian Church on Wednesday, June 22, at 10:30 a.m. Under the direction of Sam Houston Memorial Funeral Home. Donations in Lu Ellen's memory may be made to the Friends of the Old Town Theater or to First Christian Church or to a charity of your choice. Lu Ellen felt fortunate when she was able to help. She was a strong thread in the fabric of the community, grateful to God for her good neighbors, friends and family. Her viewpoint and her presence will be much missed.

Lu Ellen Gibbs

May 7, 1917 - June 22, 2005