Howard W. Gibbs

Howard Wilbur Gibbs August 22, 1926 - December 12, 2024, Howard Wilbur Gibbs, 98, of Ponca, Nebraska passed away on December 12 at Holy Spirit Retirement Home in Sioux City, Iowa.

Howard was born on Aug 22, 1926, in rural Newcastle, NE, to Casper and Maude (Severance) Gibbs. He was the middle of five sons with a sister finishing out the family. He grew up farming the bottom land of the Missouri River in the shadow of “Ionia Volcano”, a river bluff made famous by the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Howard graduated from Newcastle High School in May of 1944, and joined the Navy the day before his eighteenth birthday. During boot camp at Farragut Naval Training Station in Idaho, he showed aptitude with math and physics and was assigned to the service school engineering department in Seattle where he qualified as an Electrician’s Mate Third Class. Howard was in transit to Okinawa, Japan to board his assigned ship in 1945 when World War II ended. He completed his two years of active duty aboard the USS Tate. He loved to go up on deck at the bow of the ship when he was off duty and just watch the ocean roll beneath him. He was “initiated” as a shell-back after crossing the equator and was proud to have passed through the Panama Canal and docked in several ports in China. After his honorable discharge from the Navy in 1946, he served in the Naval Reserve until 1950. Howard initially returned to farming with his dad and granddad. He married Darlene Sorenson on November 14, 1948. They moved to Milford, Nebraska, where Howard took advantage of the GI bill to go to trade school to become an electrical journeyman. Following school, he worked in Lincoln for about a year before deciding to go into business for himself. The young family moved to Ponca in 1952 and Howard began Gibbs Electric. He went on to set innumerable poles and string endless wire in bringing electricity to many homes and farmsteads all through Dixon County. Howard kept up his journeyman’s license until age 88. Howard and Darlene had four children: Michael, Kathie, Susan and Amy. He lost his beloved Darlene in August of 1993.

Howard was a self-proclaimed “river rat” and spent countless hours in his boat running fishing lines and pulling skiers. He believed he was one of the first people to water ski on the Missouri River at Ponca State Park, using a rope with a stick for a handle. Howard was a faithful member of the United Methodist Church for over 70 years. He and Darlene sang in the choir for many years and enjoyed the fellowship they found in The Friendship Club. He was a member of Ponca’s American Legion Post 117 and the Northeast Nebraska Wireman’s Association. Howard took great satisfaction in donating blood, reaching the milestone of donating fourteen gallons. Howard was a huge Husker fan, as attested to by the big red “N” on his garage. He loved watching Husker football and women’s volleyball. He also was an avid reader and enjoyed solving Sudoku puzzles. The two things in life that Howard was most thankful for were his family and his health. In retirement, he was able to enjoy many travels with Michael, family gatherings for holidays and at the river, and following the many activities and accomplishments of his grandchildren.

Howard was preceded in death by his wife, Darlene; his parents, Cap and Maude; his four brothers, Leroy, Merle, Irwin and Albert; and a great-granddaughter Erin Knerl. He is survived by his children; Michael of Ponca, Kathie (Jeff) Knerl of Ponca, Susan (Bill) Jammer of Wayne, NE, and Amy (Glenn) Coates of Blair, NE; 7 grandchildren, Dan (Paige) Knerl, Andrew (Dana) Knerl and Chris (Sarah) Knerl, David (Reggie) Jammer, Jessica (Jeremie) Schulz, Katie Coates and Allie Coates; 5 great-grandchildren; Sister Glenda (Dale) Kuhlmann; sisters-in-law Pauline Gibbs and Vivian Gibbs and brothers in-law Bill Sorenson and Lamont Swanson. 

Howard’s funeral is under arrangement of Meyer Brothers Funeral Home and will be held Thursday, December 26 at 2:00 PM at the First United Methodist Church of Ponca. Public visitation, with lunch served, will precede the funeral service from noon to 2:00. Memorial donations may be made to the Ponca Community Education Foundation.