Irwin J. Gibbs

March 21, 1925 - June 5, 2015

Irwin Gibbs, 90, veteran of World War II, local businessman, philanthropist, stamp collector, sportsman, and lover of life, died on June 5 in San Francisco from complications following heart surgery.

Irwin was a life-long San Franciscan. He grew up in the Marina District, where he attended Galileo High School. He served in the Navy in World War II and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1946. While at Berkeley, he joined and became president of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity, the only Jewish fraternity on campus. At Berkeley, he met and married native San Franciscan, Marion Brill, in 1946. The couple celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary this year.

After graduation, Irwin entered the food brokerage business and founded Gibbs McCormick, Inc, which he headed for half a century.

For the past 58 years, Irwin devoted time to charities including the Food Industry Foundation, the March of Dimes and the Institute on Aging, of which he was a board member. In that capacity, he oversaw the development and construction of the residential tower on Geary Blvd for aging and infirm, low-income San Franciscans.

Irwin was an internationally recognized expert on stamps from the Panama Canal Zone. He authored two books on Panama Canal Zone stamps, which now serve as authoritative guides in that area.

Irwin’s love for oldtime San Francisco never abated. He was a member of the French Club in San Francisco, a private dining club founded in 1905, and a member of the San Francisco Wine & Food Society.

Irwin is survived by his wife, Marion, his two sons, Gary Gibbs and Larry Gibbs, his daughters-in-law, Margaret Corrigan and Madeline Mindek, his grandchildren, Amanda Jones and her husband Mark, Joe Gibbs, Sara Corrigan-Gibbs, Henry Corrigan-Gibbs, Eva Sullivan and her husband Ryan, and David Peterson, a greatgrandson, Spencer Jones, and countless friends.

For a full obituary and an announcement regarding a memorial service, please visit the website http://irwin-jack-gibbs.forevermissed.com.

Contributions in Irwin Gibbs’ honor may be made to the Institute on Aging (3575 Geary Boulevard, San Francisco, CA 94118) or to the Food Industry Foundation (Rob Gibbs c/o Herspring-Gibbs, 15 Crow Canyon Court, San Ramon, CA 94583).