Donald Gibson, age 94, of Wall Lake, IA passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Sunday, May 6th, 2024. He was born on December 14th, 1929 in Saint Louis County, Missouri, son of Arthur and Mollie (MacKenzie) Gibson.
He attended the University of Missouri at Columbia where he met Barbara Ronecker at InterVarsity, a Christian fellowship group. After a short courtship they were married on July 17, 1953 at Kingsland Presbyterian church in St. Louis. They were blessed with six children: David, Sue, Diane, Nancy, Karen and Barbie.
In 1953 he attended the Dubuque Theological seminary in Iowa where he received his Bachelors of Divinity degree in 1956. Upon his ordainment he was installed as pastor in Sharpsburg, Iowa. He went on to serve as pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Shelby, Iowa for eleven years and in 1968 was called to be pastor at Emmanuel and Trinity Presbyterian Churches in Wall Lake and Carnarvon, Iowa. Upon retirement in 1996, Emmanuel and Trinity churches bestowed him with the honor of Pastor Emeritus. After he retired, he continued to serve as pulpit and stated supply for many churches in the area. Donald continued to spread the gospel in the Presbyterian churches of Arcadia, Carroll, Ida Grove, Sac City, Wheatland, Auburn, and the United Church of Christ in Lake View.
Volunteer and service work were a lifelong passion and commitment for Donald. He served as a Boy Scout Scoutmaster and was involved with youth group mission trips and many church camps. He served with many service organizations including West Iowa Community Mental Health, the Sixty-Plus Nutrition Agency, Sac County Hospice and the Presbytery of Prospect Hill.
Hobbies and interests he enjoyed were model trains of all types, stamp and coin collecting, and cheering on the Saint Louis Cardinals baseball team.
After the passing of his wife Barbara in 1997, he met Beth Schnirring. They were married in July of 2003. Beth passed away in 2020.
He is survived by his children: David (Debbie) Gibson of St. Charles, MO; Sue (Marvin) Arnold of Wall Lake, IA; Diane (Charles) Herd of Garden Grove, CA; Nancy (Jonathan) Funk, Wall Lake, IA; Karen (Mike) Bruggeman of Chandler, AZ; Barbie (Jeff) Sunderland of Eden, UT; grandchildren: Daniel and Timothy Gibson, Emily (Nate) Swensen, Eric (Sara) Arnold, Stacey (Robert) Schueneman, Laura Herd, Steven (Breanna) Herd, Leah (Jacob) Mercer, Philip Herd, Nicole (Anthony) Gonzales, Aaron (Sydney) Bruggeman, Lindsey (Domonick) Bryant, Matthew Bruggeman, Logan and Paige Sunderland; great-grandchildren: Andrew and Kaleb Swensen, Clayton and Levi Arnold, Sierra (Jacob) Schramm, Caitlin (Marshall) Bower, Trevor, Abby and Elise Schueneman, Everett and Blakely Herd, Jasper Mercer, Hayden, Maverick and Sedona Gonzales; great-great grandchildren: Olive and Desmond Schramm, Willow and Jett Bower; and extended family members. Also, Beth’s son Steve (Sue) Nicklaus and son-in-law Bruce Larimer.
Donald was preceded in death by his wife Barbara Ronecker Gibson, Beth Schnirring Gibson; his parents; his brother Allan Gibson; and infant daughter Ann. Also, Beth’s daughter Cathy Larimer.
Funeral Services will be at 10:30AM on Monday, June 3, 2024, at the Trinity Presbyterian Church in Wall Lake, IA, with Reverend Randy Russom officiating. Visitation will be held from 4:00-7:00PM on Sunday, June 2, 2024, at the church. Farber & Otteman Funeral Home of Wall Lake has been entrusted to care for Don and his family.
