Herbert Andrew "Andy" Gibson

ARLINGTON -- Arlington resident Herbert Andrew "Andy" Gibson died Saturday, May 5, 2012, at a local hospital with his family at his bedside. Funeral: 11 a.m. Thursday at Wade Family Funeral Home, 4140 West Pioneer Parkway, Arlington. Interment: Burial with full military honors at 1:15 p.m. in Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, Dallas. Visitation: The family will receive friends 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Memorials: Donations may be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, www.lls.org. The youngest of eight children, Andy was born April 4, 1936, in Knoxville, Tenn., to Mary Ann Rines Gibson and Grant Lee Gibson. As an 18-year-old high school graduate, Andy entered the United States Air Force and served his country with dignity, honor and pride for more than 20 years. During this time, he resided in Japan, Korea, England, France, and various other countries. His retirement and honorable discharge in 1975 were celebrated at Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth. After his discharge, Andy began a second career at the United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons. Andy was employed by the Federal Correctional Institution in Fort Worth. He worked for 20 years in many different capacities until his retirement in 1995. During his service at FCI, Andy met the love of his life, Sharon Elaine Hill, whom he married in 1977. Devoted to each other in every way, Sharon and Andy celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary on Feb. 22, 2012. Always industrious and hard working, Andy began a third career in 1995 at the University of Texas at Arlington, where he worked in various sectors of security. After his retirement in 2003, UTA offered Andy a part-time position at the university, which he held until March 2012. Andy was a member of Fielder Road Baptist Church for the past 15 years. He thoroughly enjoyed participating in Operation Christmas Child and various other projects to assist the underprivileged. As a young man, Andy Gibson spent the early part of his life in deployments around the globe. Once he retired from U.S. Air Force, Andy settled in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and spent the past four decades in North Texas. Andy loved spending time with his family, gardening, caring for the six or more cats he and Sharon rescued, distance running, and sports. Andy loved to run several miles every day and he was long an avid fan of both the Dallas Mavericks and the Texas Rangers. He participated in many baseball and softball leagues, bowling teams, and was an annual participant in the Cowtown Marathon, winning his age group in the 10K race many times. He also umpired Little League baseball games and looked forward to the excitement of a good day of baseball. The family would like to thank the third floor oncology nursing staff as well as the hospice care team at Arlington Memorial Hospital for their constant support and compassion. Survivors: A beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle and brother, Andy Gibson leaves the following survivors: wife, Sharon Gibson of Arlington; daughter, Brandais Benton and son-in-law, Chris Benton of Mansfield; son, Chad Gibson and daughter-in-law, Andrea Gibson (Chad and Andrea are expecting their first child, a daughter, Savannah Elizabeth, in September), of Roanoke; grandson, Blake Benton of Mansfield; granddaughter, Ashley Benton of Mansfield; sister-in-law, Pam Slay of Valencia, Calif.; and nieces, Meryl Slay of New York, N.Y., Mackenzie Slay of Los Angeles, Calif. Wade Family Funeral Home Arlington, 817-274-9233