Joseph Arthur Gibson
d. June 27, 2016
Joseph Arthur Gibson, 91, of Billings passed away peacefully Monday, June 27, 2016, following a brief illness.
He was born on June 9, 1925, in Elwood, Ind., to Arthur and Esther (Sigler) Gibson, and moved immediately to the south rim of the Grand Canyon, where his father was the forest ranger. The family later moved to Eagle Creek, Ariz., and Magdalena, N.M., where Joe graduated from high school.
He graduated from Colorado A&M (now Colorado State University) with a degree in forest and range management.
After working for the Soil Conservation Service in northern New Mexico, he joined the federal Bureau of Land Management in Farmington, N.M. He later transferred to Malta and Lewistown, where he was district manager. He worked briefly at the Interior Department in Washington, D.C., before returning to Montana to finish his career at the BLM state office in Billings and retire in 1982.
Joe served in the U.S. Army during World War II, building portable hospitals in the south Pacific.
He married Bernice "Bea" Reh in Fort Collins, Colo., on June 10, 1950. They moved to New Mexico to start his career.
As he approached retirement, Joe and Bea bought their first Airstream travel trailer, joined the Wally Byam Caravan Club and enjoyed touring all over North America, including Alaska, Newfoundland (twice), the southwest, deep south and east coast.
He joined the Friendship Masonic Lodge in Lewistown and was active in the lodges at Billings, as well as the Shriners.
Joe and Bea had five children, 11 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and oldest son, Thomas. Survivors include son Robert C. (Linda) of Billings, daughter Rosemary Youderian (Mike) of Lewistown and Stanford, son Joseph D. of Olive Branch, Miss., and daughter Eileen Wendlandt of Billings.
A memorial service, to include Masonic and veteran's rites, is set for 10 a.m. Friday, July 1, at Michelotti-Sawyers Mortuary, 1001 Alderson Ave., in Billings. A family interment will follow later at Mountview Cemetery.
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