John Williams Gibson Sr.

John Williams Gibson Sr., 91, husband of Ruth (Jack) Gibson, died Monday, January 18, 2016 at Augusta Health Center in Fishersville, Virginia. He was born March 14, 1924, in West Warwick, Rhode Island, a son of the late William and Lucile (Phillips) Gibson. A graduate of Wilbraham Academy in Wilbraham, MA, he entered Brown University in 1941. His education there was interrupted, however, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II. As a member of the Signal Corps, he served both in Europe and the Pacific. Following the war, he returned to Rhode Island, married Ruth Barbara Jack in Providence, and completed his economics degree at Brown, during which time their first two children were born.In 1950, Mr. Gibson moved, with his family, to Guliford, CT. With his father and brother, he established the Guilford Finishing Company, a manufacturer of drafting and reproduction media, where he eventually became president.He and his family moved to Liege, Belgium in 1968, where he was appointed Managing Director of Addressograph-Multigraph de Liege, S.A. He later served as International Marketing Director of the Sprague Meter Company, a division of Textron, Inc. in Bridgeport, CT.A longtime member of Grace Episcopal Church in Old Saybrook, Ct, he was a chalice bearer and served numerous terms on the vestry.Having lived much of his adult life in Guilford and Madison, CT, the latter years of his retirement were spent family members in Lebanon, NH and Staunton, VA.Mr. Gibson was predeceased by his brothers, William Phillips Gibson and Frank Otis Gibson. He is survived by his wife, of nearly 70 years, Ruth Jack Gibson; his sister, Connie Gibson  Conner of Arlington, VA; his sons, John W. Gibson, Jr. (Lisa) of Staunton, VA; David J. Gibson (Dulany) of Princeton, NJ; his daughter, Ann Gibson Chalker (Skip), of White River Junction, VT; seven grandchildren; and eight great grandchildren.A graveside service will be held at a  later date in Greenwood Cemetery, in Coventry, RI.Henry Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.