William “Bill” F. Gibson, 87, of Ontario passed away Friday, Feb. 18, 2011, at the Bethel Home in Viroqua.
Bill was born June 9, 1923, to William and Kathryn (Schmitz) Gibson on the Gibson farm near Ontario. He graduated from Ontario High School and went to the Madison School of Business. In 1943, Bill joined the United States Navy. When he returned from the Navy, he attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison and pursued a degree in geography and a double minor in French and English.
In 1950, Bill was married to Lorraine Noller, who passed away a year into their marriage. On May 5, 1962, Bill was united in holy matrimony to Anita Powell at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Cashton.
Bill had many interesting professions. He worked a short time for Allis Chalmers and for the United States Library of Congress, but then his father passed away, which brought him back to his home in Ontario. Bill ran the family farm and worked for the National Weather Service for 50 years. He was a real “ginsenger” and spent many falls hunting it. Bill had a genuine green thumb and was the envy of most gardeners in the area. He crafted beautiful gardens and he reaped the produce he sowed.
Bill was proud of the Gibson Family Farm and was honored to receive the Century Farm Award. Bill dedicated a lot of time and work to the village of Ontario. He was an active member of the Ontario Village Board for 27 years and was proud to be a member of the Ontario American Legion. In Bill’s spare time, he was an avid reader and he looked forward to his Monday night poker games with his “friends of the roundtable.” But, most of all, Bill was a family man and cherished every moment with his precious wife, children, grandchildren and great-grandchild.
Bill will be deeply missed by his wife of 48 years, Anita of Ontario; six children, Catherine (Ronald) Bean of West Salem, Wis., Teresa (Robert) Bradley of Ontario, Steven (Monica) Gibson of Winona, Minn., Paul (Wanda) Gibson of Ontario, William B. Gibson of La Crosse, and Lisa (Jayson) DeWitt of Ontario; his grandchildren, Gregory and Michael Bean, Ian Bradley, Morgan, Jon, Katie, James and Madeline Gibson, and Samuel, Ben, Nathaniel, Timothy and Jackson DeWitt; his step-grandchildren, Marcella, Brian, Eric and Samantha Trejo; a great-grandchild, Evelyn Marie Baldwin; a niece, Mary (Kohnen) Ennis; along with many dear relatives and friends.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Elsie; and other relatives and friends.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 21, at the Torkelson Funeral Home in Ontario. Father John Parr will officiate. A private family burial will be at the Hilltop Rest Cemetery at a later date. Family and friends are invited for visitation from 9–11 a.m. Monday at the funeral home. Memorials may be given in Bill’s name to the Ontario library fund or to the elevator project at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Cashton. Online condolences may be offered at www.torkelsonfuneralhome.com.
