Obituary of Doris Ann Gibbons

Doris A. Gibbons, 86, of Midland, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, July 21, 2021, at Bickford Cottage, in Midland. She was born August 8, 1934, in Twining, Michigan, to Simon and Ellen (Smith) Drew. The family eventually moved to Midland, where Doris primarily grew up. She attended Midland High School, graduating in 1952. After high school, Doris became employed by the Dow Chemical Company as a secretary in the Purchasing Department. There, she met the love of her life, Jack D. Gibbons. Jack worked as a typewriter repairman for IBM at the time, and soon Doris had the best working typewriter in Dow! Jack and Doris were married on June 4, 1956, and raised 3 children together. They were married for 62 years. After their retirement, Jack and Doris moved to Oscoda and ran a successful charter fishing business. Doris was an excellent “first mate”, who had an eagle eye for a “Fish On!” and an uncanny sense of which bait would work best each day. They had a large group of wonderful “boater friends” there and weekend dock-side parties were the summer norm. They stayed in Oscoda for over 15 fun-filled years, before moving back to Midland to be closer to family. Once back in town, they loved hosting weekly Friday cocktail hour at their place, with their kids and anyone else who could make it…a tradition that continued after their move together to Bickford Cottage! Doris is survived by her children, Lori (Mike) Badour of Midland, Brad Gibbons, of Auburn, and Chev Gardner of Midland; her grandchildren, Bethany (Ryan) Bartlett and Brian Shangle of Midland, Kalie Taylor of Bay City, and Ryan (Kristen) Gibbons, Niki Gibbons, and Eric Gibbons of Denton, Texas; her great-grandchildren, Austin Bartlett and Madilyn Bartlett, and Brynlie Shangle; as well as many very special nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband Jack; son-in-law, Matt Gardner; her parents, Ellen and Simon Drew; her brother, Duane Drew; and her sister, Verla Coleman. Cremation has taken place, per Doris’ wishes, and a private memorial service will be held for family at a later date. To sign online guestbook, visit www.cremationsocietymidmi.com. Doris’ family would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the staff at Bickford Senior Living in Midland, especially the caregivers in the Mary B’s Memory Care Unit, and the caregivers and staff at MidMichigan Hospice and Northview Medical House Calls. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to the charity of your choice. Arrangements made with Cremation Society of Mid-Michigan.