GIBBONS, Gloria D. (Smith)

A memorial service for Gloria Dean Gibbons, 76, of Clinton, will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, in the First United Methodist Church with Dr. Robert Blakeburn officiating. Gloria Dean Gibbons and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Scarf. If you ever saw Gloria Dean you would always see her wearing a scarf. It could be filled with colors, horses, flowers or hearts. It was as essential to any outfit as it was an accessory to the life she lived. A pink chenille scarf started her life on Dec. 5, 1932 in Kilgore, Texas. She was the second child to C.B and Virgie Smith. Although B.J. Smith, of Evansville, Indiana is her big brother; he will always be Gloria's "little brother." She was joined by her sister Reba Tapp of Kevil, Ky. She attended 21 different grade schools, graduating from Morganfield, Ky. High School as valedictorian. A Troop Mom scarf decorated her young adulthood. Her mother, Virgie, gave birth to her youngest sibling, Myma Dusak, of Lexington, Ky. To Gloria, the new baby was "her Myma." Gloria married James D. Cox in 1952. She was blessed with two children of her own, Pamela Sue Cox Wise, formerly of Clinton now of South Lake Tahoe, Nev. and Sherri Kay Cox Lewis of Chickasha. For every day of her life she was extremely proud of her girls. A scarf of independence and determination wrapped her in her 30s and 40s She graduated from Oklahoma College of Liberal Arts, now known as the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. She received a Masters of Arts from the University of Evansville. She taught special education in Ada, Carmi, Ill. and Evansville, Ind. She began to change the world one child at a time. The children she taught to read could circle the globe if standing hand in hand. A turquoise and coral shawl wrapped the 90s when she returned to her Oklahoma roots. She married Michael D. Gibbons on Jan. 28, 1994.She gained another daughter in Michelle Riley of Florence, Mont. This love of her life; brought her closer to her grandchildren and great grandchildren, J.R. Lewis and family of Chickasha; J.D. Lewis and family of Chickasha; Michelle Wise Bellard and family of Carson City, Nev., Heather Mroz and family of Castle Rock, Colo., Sean Wise of Reno, Nev., Travis and Daryn Riley of Florence, Mont. She has been blessed with two great granddaughters and four great grandsons. She was one of the first CASA volunteers in Western Oklahoma. Her love of children provided Multi-County Youth Services with 100s of hours of volunteer work. She continued to teach children to read, even the ones everyone else had given up on. On Sept. 5, 2009, she was wrapped in a red scarf. She left our world surrounded with love. The family suggests donations in Gloria Gibbons' honor be made to Multi-County Youth Services, P.O. Box 104, Clinton, OK 73601.