Richard Dale Gibson, 85, beloved husband of Elaine Anderson Gibson, proud father of sons, Richard Dale Gibson, Jr., (Rick), and Gregory Theodore Gibson, was born in New Castle, PA, on June 26, 1933. He was preceded in death by his parents, Mable Alexander Gibson and Herman Everett Gibson; his brother, Robert Bruce Gibson; and his sister, Vivian Gibson Reynolds.Richard (Dick) was the father-in-law of Laurie Markhard Gibson, Sandi Ferrier Gibson, and loving grandfather of Dayle and Alec Gibson, all residing in NJ.Richard served in the US Army during the Korean War.His educational achievements included a BS Degree in Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, PA; a Master's Degree in Engineering from New York University, NY; and Professional Engineering Licenses in Indiana and Illinois. Dick's professional career was in the field of Design Engineering developing new products. He worked for Bell Labs, NJ and IN; General Instrument, MA and Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; C.P. Clare, Chicago, IL; Schering Plough, Chicago, IL; and Springs Industries, Madison, WI. Richard passed very peacefully and unexpectedly on the evening of February 23, 2019, after spending time with his family from Williamsburg and NJ, smiling from ear to ear while petting, and also being comforted by, his loving, purring cat, Marcello. (Marcello's father is Italian, his mother is American, and Dick named him Marcello because it is a masculine Italian name for Sailor).Dick always took great pleasure volunteering his time and effort participating in many organizations over the years. When Rick and Greg were growing up, he volunteered in activities they were actively involved in, including Junior Achievement, the Soap Box Derby, guided the young members of the local 5th and 6th Grade Elementary School football team as an educational and energetic volunteer coach, and served as a Deacon and Elder at Faith Presbyterian Church, Indianapolis, IN. When living in Williamsburg, Dick enjoyed volunteering as a member of Kiwanis, an organization that takes pride in serving children of the world, contributing, with other members, to the fund raising successes of the Snow Ball, the Shrimp Fest, the Polo Club, and the USO.In addition, he participated with First Night, FCHOA's Roads and Maintenance group, and the Jamestown Yorktown Sailing Program. Dick's participation with the Sailing Program included being a cast member of the "New World" movie in 2005, America's 400th year celebration in 2006, meeting Queen Elizabeth in person, and sailed with the Godspeed Sail in 2007. Dick was also one of the Presidents of the Williamsburg Inventors Club, and President of REGAL International, Inc., the company he founded to assist inventors with their designs and introduce them to reliable companies to manufacture their products for consumer markets. Dick had a very varied and interesting career, which included one of his most exciting new product design jobs while at Schering Plough. He helped to develop and test the popular soft colored bifocal contact lenses, which incorporated the individual colors of violet, green, blue and brown color choices for the consumer market. Dick's motto throughout his adult life was "My Way," which was his very kind, thoughtful, helpful and supportive approach with his quick and divergent sense of humor. Visitation will be held on Friday, May 31, from 6-8 PM at Nelsen Funeral Home, 3785 Strawberry Plains Rd., Williamsburg. The Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, June 1, from 2-4 PM at Williamsburg Presbyterian Church, 215 Richmond Rd., Williamsburg. He will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery, Washington, DC. Please contact Nelsen Funeral Home for further information. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to The Kiwanis Children's Fund, www.kiwanis.org, or to Williamsburg Presbyterian Church, www.mywpc.org.
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