March 14, 2019

Woodrow Wilson Gibson, Jr., a native and lifelong resident of Seminole County, passed away on Thursday, March 14, 2019. He had been a resident of Seminole Manor for the past 7 years.

Funeral services for Mr. Gibson were held on Sunday afternoon, March 17, 2019 at 3 p.m. at the chapel of Evans-Skipper Funeral Home with Rev. Jimmy Hornsby and Dr. Raymond Guterman officiating. Interment followed in Friendship Cemetery with John Milner, Bill Burke, Willie Bell, Joe Burke, Allan Hornsby and Eugene Kelley serving as active casketbearers.  Honorary casketbearers were Charles Musgrove and Phillip Owens. Visitation was held one hour prior to the service at 2p.m. at the funeral home.  In lieu of flowers the family ask that memorial contributions be made to Gideon’s International PO Box 140800 Nashville, TN 37214-0800.

Born on February 2, 1942, Wilson was the only son of Woodrow Wilson (Butch) Gibson, Sr., and Martha Ruth (Miller) Gibson.

He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Janis Darlene (Taylor) Gibson, his son Myles Bartow Gibson, of Donalsonville, and his daughter Rebecca Gibson DiStefano, of Boca Raton, Florida, as well as three grandsons, Myles Gibson, Gary Gibson and Roman DiStefano.

Wilson earned the rank of Eagle Scout as a youth and was a pitcher on the high school baseball team, the Seminole Indians, during his time at Seminole County High School. He attended and graduated from the University of Georgia in 1964, a journalism major, where he met his future wife Janis, of Atlanta, Georgia, also a graduate of UGA. He was an avid recreational tennis player, finding immense enjoyment following Seminole County high school and college sports including UGA and University of Miami football, Seminole County high school basketball and even traveled to Athens, Georgia on occasion to take in UGA tennis tournaments. He deeply loved his South Georgia community, and his heart never left Seminole County; however, had a little known adventurous side visiting Israel and Hawaii and engaging in Christian missions work on a trip to Peru. Wilson was actively involved in past years in the First Covenant Church of Donalsonville, more recently advocating for and participating in the Gideons International missions work of placing Bibles worldwide and also engaged in a prison ministry. He is remembered by his family as a person of faith and inclusion, with sincere compassion for persons from every walk of life. Arrangements entrusted to Evans-Skipper Funeral Home.