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Obituary (FL): Edgar Hamilton Gibbons Jr. '44

Posted on 09/19/2018

Edgar H. Gibbons, Jr. "Gib", 96, of Ormond Beach, FL, passed away on August 20, 2018 after a short illness.

A memorial service will be held at the Tomoka United Methodist Church on October 8th, at 11:00 AM.

He is survived by his daughter, Stephanie McMahan; his two sons, Peter and Alan, his three step-daughters, Melanie Hunter, Lesley Pelstring, and Stephanie Pelcher; his step-son, Monta Burt, sixteen grandchildren and twenty-three great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Valerie Burt and his sister, Barbara Critchfield.

He was born in Fort Worth, TX, on August 22, 1921, the son of the late Edgar and Gladys Gibbons of Broomfield, Colorado. He was an Eagle Scout. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis in 1943 (class of 1944) and served as a communications officer on the Destroyer, USS Kimberly in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Colorado in 1948 and a Master's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1950. He worked for the General Electric Company in Syracuse N.Y. for most of his career. At GE he was involved in the early development of color television, the development of radar guidance for the Atlas rockets launched by NASA, and the testing of over-the-horizon radar.

Upon retirement, he and Valerie purchased a sailboat (their last boat was a Nonsuch 34), joined the Henderson Harbor Yacht club and spent many days and weeks sailing on Lake Ontario. After moving to Daytona Beach, Florida, he and Valerie enjoyed camping in their pop-up camper and working with stained glass. Gib later became an active member of his church and a Hospice volunteer.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Tomoka United Methodist Church, 1000 Old Tomoka Rd, Ormond Beach, FL 32174, or other charity, in Gib's memory.

Date of Death: August 20, 2018

Published in the Syracuse Post Standard from Sept. 18 to Sept. 23, 2018