Sam Gibbons obit

Sam GIBBONS Obituary

 

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GIBBONS, Sam M. 92, of Tampa, passed away Oct. 10, 2012. Sam was born in Tampa on Jan. 20, 1920, the oldest son of Melville Gunby Gibbons and Jessie Kirk Cralle Gibbons. He was married to Martha Hanley Gibbons from 1946 until her death in 2003. In 2004, Gibbons married his childhood friend the for mer Betty King Culbreath, the widow of former TECO Chairman and civic leader H.L. Culbreath, and their children, Kay Culbreath Heller and H. Lee Culbreath. Sam is survived by his wife, Betty; his sons, Clifford, Mark and Timothy; daughters-in-law, Terri Gibbons, Lee Gibbons & Morgan Watson; grandchildren, Cody Gibbons, Justin Gibbons, Sam Brian Gibbons, Martha Elizabeth Gibbons, Hanley Gibbons, Carolyn Gibbons and Jayne Ashby Gibbons. During World War II, Gibbons served in the U. S. Army's 101st Airborne Division and parachuted into Normandy behind enemy lines to help lead the initial forces of the D-Day invasion. Gibbons' wartime experience was the basis for Tom Brokaw's best- selling book "The Greatest Generation." Gibbons represented Tampa for 34 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, and made it his mission to help his constituents and his country every day. Before going to Congress, Gibbons' served in the Florida Legislature for 10 years. There he secured the support for opening the University of South Florida in Tampa. It has grown into one of the states's largest universities and Sam was known as the "Father of USF." Prior to entering politics, Gibbons worked with his father, brother and uncles at the family's Gibbons & Gibbons law firm, founded by his grandfather Melville Gibbons and his great-grandfather Henry Clinton Gibbons. he received his law degree from the University in 1947. Memorial services will be held at 11 am, Oct. 20 at Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church, located at 3501 W. San Jose Street, Tampa, FL 33629. In lieu of flowers please make a contribution to Sam's favorite charities: Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church, the University of South Florida or the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center for accelerating research to discovery molecular signatures for cancer and develop new personalized therapies for the cure of cancer.

Gibbons was born in Tampa, Florida on January 20, 1920. He went to Roosevelt Elementary School when he was a young child. The current-day auditorium is named after him. He graduated from H. B. Plant High School, where he was part of JROTC, and then went on to the University of Florida. After military service during World War II, Gibbons attended the University of Florida School of Law, graduating in 1947. He then joined four generations of his family practicing law in Tampa. He went on to marry Martha Hanley, and have three sons; Clifford Sam, Mark Hanley, and Timothy Melville. After 55 years of marriage, his wife died of cancer in 2002; Gibbons then married a recently widowed friend, Betty King Culbreath.