Raymond Dupree Gibson

Obituary: Raymond Dupree "Ray" Gibson, 84, of Kannapolis passed away Friday, Feb. 12, 2010 at CMC-Mercy Charlotte. Born Feb. 4, 1926, in Greensboro, NC, he was the son of the late Samuel C. and Mary Wade Gibson. He was the husband of Reba Byrd Gibson, his loving wife of 63 years. Ray first began working at Douglas Aircraft and was a Designer of Tools for the company. Later, he worked at Equipment and Supply and at Velmet; where he was as a consultant for sixteen years. His work carried him around the world to areas in Sweden, Finland and Canada. Ray retired from Velmet in December 2001. He was a faithful member of Franklin Heights Baptist Church in Kannapolis and served on many committees. He enjoyed spending quality time with his wife and family and was an avid world traveler. He also devoted two years to mission trips in Poland and was very active in SME (Society of Manufacturing Engineers) where he was President of Region Five which covered fourteen states, Mexico and Puerto Rico. He was a WWII Marine Veteran and served with the 6th Marine Division in the South Pacific. Surviving, in addition to his wife, are sons Randy M. Gibson, Sr. of Fort Mill, S.C., and Philip R. Gibson (Karen) of Kannapolis; grandsons, Harley R. Gibson, R. Matthew Gibson, Jr. and P. Steven Gibson (Candice); granddaughters, Wendy Boone, Stephanie Hancock, and Jamie Heins; brothers, Wade J. Gibson of Greensboro and Larry Gibson of Liberty; and ten great-grand children. Visitation will be held Sunday, 1:30pm - 2:45pm in the Fellowship Hall at Franklin Heights Baptist Church, 526 Wright Ave. Kannapolis, NC 28083. His Celebration of Life will be at 3:00pm with Pastor Jim Grigg officiating. Burial will proceed immediately after at Carolina Memorial Park. Expressions of sympathy and memorial donations may be made to Franklin Heights Christian Academy. Online condolences may be left at www.whitleysfuneralhome.com
Visitation: 1:30 - 2:45 PM Sunday, February 14, 2010 at Franklin Heights Baptist Church, Kannapolis

Service: 3:00 PM Sunday, February 14, 2010 at Franklin Heights Baptist Church, Kannapolis

Interment: Carolina Memorial Park. Kannapolis