Betty Arla Gibson

June 6, 1946 - February 24, 2022

Betty Arla Gibson, aka Mamaw B, known to many for her famous hugs and sunny personality, died from complications due to Covid-19 on Thursday, February 24, 2022, at Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center in Fredericksburg VA. She was 75. She is survived by eight children: Claude “Clip” Gibson (Michelle) of King George, VA; Debrina “Dee” Gibson-Bower (Kevin Adkins) of Bealeton, VA; Dawn Howdershelt (George Morales) of Spotsylvania, VA; Dana Burrows (Alan) of Spotsylvania, VA; Scott Gibson (Melanie) of Weirton, WV; Benjamin Gibson of Beckley, WV; Keith Gibson (Peggy Sue) of Palm Beach, FL; and Karen Higgason Wenclewicz (Ron) of Dayton, OH. Besides her children she is survived by sister Kathy Boman of Napierville, IL; brother Kenneth Baker (Shay) of Lewisburg, WV; a special family friend whom she considered a sister, Gethel Lowe of Pikeville, KY; 24 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren that she doted on and loved more than life; and several nieces, nephews, cousins, and many, many friends. She is also survived by her dog Zeus that she loved dearly. Preceding her in death was her husband of 29 years, Claude E. Gibson; her father, Sam Baker; her mother, Deborah “Debbie” Baker; her daughter, Lisa Ann Gibson-Healy; her beloved brother, Billie Ray “Bill” Baker; two brothers who passed away as children: Arlan Baker and Prentiss Baker; and special family friend, Freddie Lowe. Betty was born in Hazard, KY on June 6, 1946, to parents Sam and Debbie Baker. In July 1959, her family moved to Chicago, IL. It was in Chicago where she met her husband, Claude E. Gibson. Betty and Claude were married on January 6, 1970. They raised 9 children together, and she somehow managed to maintain her sense of humor and sanity in the process. They moved to West Virginia in 1976 to a small town called Jumping Branch until 1990 when they relocated to Fredericksburg, VA. She was a graduate of Beckley College with a degree in Business Administration. In 1987, she earned her nursing degree. She began her nursing career in obstetrics, then changed to geriatrics to work with the elderly until she retired in 1998 from the Fredericksburg Nursing Home due to an injury she incurred on the job. She treated each of her patients as if they were her own family. On more than one occasion, she would stay hours past her shift so she could sit and visit with a patient who didn’t have family or was just alone. She also celebrated birthdays with her patients, bringing each of them a cake on their special day. People were drawn to Betty like a moth to a flame. She truly never met a stranger. It wasn’t unusual to find her in a grocery store aisle speaking to someone she’d never met before as if she’d known them her whole life. They would part as friends, even sometimes showing up for dinner the same day. Her compassion and kindness extended to all of God’s creatures. As a child, she once brought home a stray dog that apparently had the mange. Her parents were understandably less than thrilled. It didn’t stop there. She continued to bring home stray animals, especially those that were hurt, throughout her adult life. This brings us to the story of Peggy the Possum. While driving on a dark country road in WV one night, an opossum ran across the road and though she swerved, she was unable to avoid hitting the animal. Tears pouring down her face, she jumped out of the family van, ran to the animal, and scooped it up and what turned out to be several possum babies, intent on taking them home to nurse back to health. Amazingly, the mother possum never tried to bite her. That was not the case; however, when her husband, who was rightfully dismayed at what she’d done, tried to help her take the animal out of the vehicle. Fortunately, no one was bitten that night. One of the babies, that Betty named Peggy, survived. Peggy lived with the family for several years and acted more like a dog than a possum. Peggy never mastered barking though; she would hiss instead as possums are wont to do which could explain why Betty’s sister Kathy never really took a liking to her. There was so much to Betty Gibson, so more than what is captured in this obituary. She loved life and people loved to be around her. She always looked for – and usually found – the silver lining in even the worst situation. She had a big heart and always gave people the benefit of the doubt. She had a temper but was quick to apologize and forgive. She warned people that she was a hugger just seconds before she’d hug them. She was opinionated but kept an open mind. She was one of those rare people that would give you the shoes off her feet if you needed them, or even if you just said you liked her shoes. Her love for children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren was bottomless. Nothing was more important to her than family and to her, family wasn’t limited to just those who were related by blood. She became a second mom to so many. She was known as Mamaw B not only by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, but to any child that met her. She was a force of nature and so very strong, both physically and emotionally. She enjoyed traveling and spent a year in Anchorage, AK before she met her husband. She could be a shopaholic. She ordered so much from the Home Shopping Network that she was on a first-name basis with the UPS driver. She loved to laugh. She had the best sense of humor, even though she was slow to get a joke sometimes. It could be hours or even days when she’d suddenly burst out in laughter because she finally caught the punch line. She adored frogs and bumblebees. She was no stranger to hard work and firmly believed that if you wanted something, you had to earn it. As a young teenage girl, she dreamt of becoming a ballerina. To pay for her classes, she would wash clothes for her instructor and neighbors. Her love of ballet was eventually replaced with racing motorcycles and cars. She always wanted to own a Harley. She had a lead foot so teaching her children how to drive probably wasn’t the best idea. She was selfless. She always had a smile on her face. She was an amazing mother. If she loved you, there was nothing she wouldn’t do for you. She brought so much love and light to this world and will be forever missed by everyone that knew her. Friends and loved ones are invited to say farewell to Betty at Found and Sons Funeral Chapels in Fredericksburg, VA on Saturday, March 12, 2022. Viewing and visitation are from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. The service begins promptly at 4:00 pm and will conclude at 5:00 pm. A reception will be held immediately afterward (location TBD). Betty did not want her service to be a day of sadness and asked that no one wear traditional dark funeral attire. We would like to extend a special thank you to the ICU and IMCU nursing staff at Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center that took care of our mother during her final days.