Mr. Ira Judson Gibbons, 81, of Columbia, passed away on Monday, November 26, 2012, at his residence following a long, courageous battle with cancer. Born on August 9, 1931, in Columbia, SC, he was a son of the late Daniel Nelson Gibbons and Sara Lucille Tomlinson Gibbons. He grew up in the Olympia Community and graduated from Olympia High School in 1949. After graduation, he spent two years in the US Air Force, serving as a military policeman. After leaving the Air Force, Mr. Gibbons spent the first half of his working years in the sheet metal business; he later went on to work for 23 years at Richardson Construction Company in Columbia.

A member of North Trenholm Baptist Church, Ira loved his church and always felt that God had given him the gift of giving and he spent a lifetime of giving to others. Ira impacted the lives of everyone he came in contact with, with his sense of humor. He never met a stranger.
Survivors include his loving wife of forty-eight years, Bea Gibbons; children, Jan (Mike) Dimmery, of Blythewood, SC, Daniel Gibbons of Columbia, Fran (Bobby) Richardson of Blythewood, and George (Eleanor) Gibbons of Waleska, GA; sister, Marilyn Whitten, of Pelion, SC; along with many grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. In addition to his parents, Mr. Gibbons was preceded in death by his brother, David Nelson Gibbons, Jr., who died during WWII; sister, Esther Ruth Foust; and granddaughter, Jennifer Ann Patton.

A funeral service for Mr. Gibbons will be held Wednesday, November 28th, at 11 o'clock at North Trenholm Baptist Church, with The Rev. R. Joseph Copeland officiating. Interment will follow at Greenlawn Memorial Park. Serving as pallbearers are Mike Donahue, Daniel Nelson Gibbons IV, Joseph Walters, John Brock, The Rev. Steve Kittrell, and James Murphy. The men of Woody Howle's Connection Class are invited to serve as honorary pallbearers. The family will receive friends from 5 until 7 o'clock, Tuesday evening, at Shives Funeral Home, 5202 Colonial Dr., Columbia. Memorials may be made to North Trenholm Baptist Church, 6515 N. Trenholm Rd, Columbia, SC 29206 or Heartstrings Hospice, 115 Blarney Drive, Columbia, SC 29223.

The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to nurses, Sandy and Sherril; social worker, Erlinda; Chaplain Princetta, of Heartstrings Hospice; Dr. Ackerman and Gretchen Byars N.P. of SC Oncology; and Hector Morales, who faithfully came and gave him a haircut every six weeks during his illness.