Mary Clare Gibson Gibb (“Mom”, “The Mother”, “Gram”, “Big Clare”, “Aunt Clare”, “friend”) was born Oct. 13, 1935 to Catherine and William Gibson. On May 15, 2020 after a brief fight with COVID-19, she joined her two brothers and four sisters, as well as countless other relatives in Heaven. Before she passed, she saw her father, who had died before her birth, waiting at her bedside to carry his little girl up to join a joyous family reunion with Jesus in Paradise.
Clare was raised in the Seventh District of Southern Maryland. She graduated from Holy Angels Catholic School and Margaret Brent High School, and went on to attend Strayer College. She was an energetic and loving woman. People were special to her, and she made sure that they felt it by the little thoughtful things she did. When you saw her, you could not help but break out in a big smile to match hers. What a joyful laugh she had.
She was a role model for beautifully balancing motherhood and a career. She thoroughly enjoyed her many varied jobs and the friendships that she made in each and every job. Her friendships lasted a lifetime. Because she lived in California, New York, Michigan, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, every move meant a new job and more people who would quickly know and love her as a friend. Some jobs included the FBI (for Hoover himself), law firms, universities (including Stanford), a credit union, a health clinic, and her favorite job as an Office Manager for her son Freddy and son-in-law Sean.
One benefit of her many careers was that she had little time for cooking and cleaning, but plenty of time for playing with her children, shopping with her sisters, children, and nieces, visiting with friends and relatives, enjoying her children’s piano, ballet, and sporting activities, going out to dinner, DAR meetings with three generations (followed by going out to lunch), playing Bridge, trying to teach her children and grandchildren to play Bridge (they came for the Dove Bars), traveling, and, of course, daily Mass, which she always had time for her entire life, (followed by going out to breakfast if possible). She passed her love of daily Mass on to her children and grandchildren, as well as the joy of the Rosary and other special prayers.
Clare had an unbreakable positive, cheerful outlook on life and she will be sorely missed by her ex-husband Frederick W. Gibb II, their children: Mary Delana McGinn (Sean), Frederick W. Gibb III (Renee), and Catherine Baily (Chip); 12 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
Clare made the world a better place. She made a difference.
All Funeral Services will be private at this time.
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