Norma Mackey Gibbs
LEANDER - We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Norma Mackey Gibbs, 94, of Leander, Texas. Her life came to an end on February 29, 2024.
Norma was born on October 2, 1929, to Reba and Hurshal Mackey in Fort Smith, AR. She married Edward Gibbs, on March 24,1947.
She worked for the Social Security Administration for 30 years in offices located in Houston, Memphis, and Fort Smith. Possessing a highly proficient administrative aptitude, she garnered praise from her peers and supervisors, receiving numerous certificates of appreciation from her department. Martha A. McSteen, then Commissioner of Social Security thanked her for “the contributions you have made toward one our Nation’s most important programs.”
Her own struggles in obtaining care for her daughter Melissa prompted Norma to devoted much of her time working with Bost, Inc. in Fort Smith, helping to strengthen programs developed for disabled individuals. In 1996, she received recognition for her work with the Adult Development Center. Bost awarded her numerous recognitions, including the Roger D. Bost MD honor award in 1998 and 2000. In 2008 Bost awarded her an appreciation award for her years of support. Norma also worked years with the SCARC, for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
She received an award from SCARC in appreciation for her tireless and devoted service as president from 1976-77 as well as an appreciation award for board membership from 1978-1981. In 1989, Jim Spradlin, Governor of the Arkansas District of the Seratoma Club awarded her the District Award for Service to Mankind. That same year the Downtown Seratoma Club presented her with a Service to Mankind Award.
Norma also enjoyed volunteer work at the Donald W Reynolds Support House and St David’s Hospital in Austin.
Norma was predeceased by her husband Edward Gibbs and her daughter Melissa Gibbs. She is survived by her sister Rohena Caperton of Fort Smith, Arkansas, her daughter Marta Gibbs and her son-in-law Paul Hollingsworth of Leander, Texas, her granddaughter Krista Dillard, her husband Bobby and their children Bode Dillard and Ella Dillard of Austin, Texas, her granddaughter Adrienne Dabney of New Orleans, Louisiana, and her grandson Andrew Gibbs-Dabney, his wife Sarah Dabney and their children Finnegan Dabney and Oliver Dabney of Bentonville, Arkansas.
She is also survived by Thu Vu, whom Norma and Edward Gibbs fostered after her arrival from Vietnam in 1975.
Norma was beloved by friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, and acquaintances. She maintained a vast love for the individual human being and displayed immense generosity. A master of the art of conversation, she loved holding forth on any topic presented by attending interlocutors.
She will be remembered for her kindness, acute intelligence, common sense, and humor. She was a great listener, a giver of sage advice, and was always up for a good joke or light-hearted conversation. A life-long Democrat, she sincerely cared and supported human rights.
She loved bird-watching, cloud-gazing, and functional order. She often reminded her home companions that a patch of blue could ease the heaviest of grief. She was voracious reader. She also loved to cook for her family and friends. She spent her retirement traveling the country by RV (her beloved fifth wheel) with her husband Edward and her daughter Melissa, often including Krista and Adrienne, their grandchildren.
There will be a funeral service at St. John’s Episcopal Church on April 19, at 11:00, in Fort Smith, Arkansas, followed by a burial service at the National Cemetery at 1:00. Light food and drinks will be served from 2-5 at the Stonehouse Chaffee Crossing Restaurant. In place of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Bost, Inc., an organization Norma cared deeply about. For anyone making a memorial to Bost, the address is: The Bost Foundation P.O. Box 11495 Ft Smith, AR 72913.