Kathleen Belle Gibson

Kathleen (Katie) Belle Gibson was born in New Windsor, Maryland on June 11, 1921. At a young age she married the one and only man of her dreams, Albert F. Gibson. She worked for the American Red Cross until she became pregnant with her first and only child, Marleen E. Gibson in 1956. After the birth of Marleen she decided to become a homemaker. Babysitting became a hobby of hers. She loved children...and watched more kids than you can count. Katie also either raised or had a hand in raising her six grandchildren...Valana, Jonathan, Karla, Justin, Stephen and Ronald, Jr. She also was a member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Largo, MD for many years. She attended church on Saturday evenings and always sat in the same exact pew in the back of the church. Katie was known at church for her homemade pies...apple, lemon meringue, peach, blackberry (that she hand picked off bushes) and a coconut custard pie she called impossible pie. Her pies were always the first to go at the bake sales. Pumpkin bread was another one of her popular goodies. Each holiday season she would make over 100 loaves and give them away as gifts. Garnished with a piece of holly or poinsettia and wrapped in holiday paper they were a hit and everyone looked forward to the tasty treat each year. From the mailman, neighbors, the kids bus drivers and teachers it was a gift unlike any other. It's so good that grown men have been know to hide the bread from the rest of their family. Katie had an amazing green thumb. She had the best looking yard on the street...no actually the neighborhood. And could tell you what each plant was called, how to care for it and would even give you a piece so you could grow your own. She loved her azaleas and roses the most and could weed a garden better than any piece of equipment on the market today. Working in the yard was such a passion of hers so much that she cared for the flower beds at church for many years. Katie worked in the yard until she was 88. In June of 2011 her health began to decline but she never gave up. Although she became limited and couldn't do as much she always made an effort. She was strong and determined. In October she began having difficulty breathing and was admitted to the Southern Maryland Hospital on October 30th. She was diagnosed with pneumonia and started to receive treatment. Unfortunately she wasn't strong enough to overcome this illness and breathing became more difficult with each day. On November 10th she was transferred to Washington Community Hospice in Washington DC where she spent only three hours before closing her eyes and returning home to be with her maker.