September 2020
Dick Gibbs, F278983, always seemed to wear a smile. His warm, outgoing demeanor endeared him to his many FMCA friends.
Dick, who served as FMCA national vice president, Western Area, from 2014 to 2016, died June 4, 2020. The Santa Maria, California, resident was 84. He also served FMCA as a member of the Convention Committee (2014 to 2015) and the Long Range and Development Committee (2015 to 2016).
“I must have gotten 200 cards (after his death),” Charlotte Gibbs, his wife of 63 years, said. “Everyone said Dick always greeted them with a smile, and he always made them feel welcome at club meetings. If someone was a stranger, they weren’t for long.”
Lon Cross said Dick served as his mentor when Lon succeeded him as FMCA national vice president, Western Area. Dick, he noted, always was willing to be helpful and to share information. “The first six months (of my term), I had his number on speed dial, calling him every other day,” Lon said.
Dick grew up on an Iowa farm. He was 17 and Charlotte was 15 when they met at a dance in her hometown in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. After serving in the U.S. Army, Dick worked for Gamble Hardware for nearly 30 years, and then for hardware distributor Orgill until his retirement in 2001.
At that point, he and Charlotte became full-time RVers. For more than two years they traveled extensively, including throughout the West and much of Canada, before settling in Santa Maria.
Dick and Charlotte’s love for camping began many years earlier with the purchase of a pop-up camper. They transitioned to travel trailers and eventually bought a 40-foot diesel motorhome.
The couple joined FMCA in 1997 and became active in a num-ber of chapters, including California Coasters (he was president for two terms) and California Heartland. As news of Dick’s death became known, Heartland members posted tributes on the group’s Facebook page.
Sharon Roach wrote that she became friends with Dick after he asked her to serve as Western Area secretary. “He was a very special man,” she said. “Family meant a lot to him. No matter the situation, Dick was always smiling.
“We have lost a GREAT person.”
Fred and Jenelle Lockwood wrote that they first met Dick and Charlotte at a California Heartland rally many years ago: “You know how sometimes you feel a special connection with people when you first meet? Well, we had that with Dick and Char,” they said.
“We got to know each other’s families as if they were our families, too,” the Lockwoods wrote. “Lots of dinners at each other’s homes. We built a great friendship. Dick always came up with places to travel to and events to see.” Their travels together took them to the California coast, Oregon, and Arizona, and to events such as the Tournament of Roses Parade.
In addition to his wife, Charlotte, Dick is survived by sons Steven and Tim; his brothers Bob and Jerry; and two grandchildren.
Memorial donations can be made to the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org.
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