Frances James Gibbs, 88, of Ben Hill County, Georgia, died Wednesday, January 12, 2022, at Pruitt Healthcare in Fitzgerald, Georgia.
Graveside services will be held 2 PM, Friday, January 14, 2022, at Salem Cemetery in Ben Hill County, Georgia, with the Rev. Earl Perry officiating. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the services at the graveside. Her nephews will serve as honorary pallbearers.
Mrs. Gibbs was born March 12, 1933, in Ben Hill County, Georgia, to the late Grover C. & Minnie Luke James. She was a homemaker and helped to raise her grands by babysitting them. She will be fondly remembered for her news articles about happenings in the Salem-Abba-Arp community that she wrote for The Herald-Leader for many decades. She enjoyed arts and crafts, especially bead work and making jewelry. She also enjoyed watching her grandchildren and great-grandchildren play ball and perform gymnastics. Mrs. Gibbs touched many people and was a wonderful witness of Christian love. She was known to most as Nannie and will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her. She was a faithful member of Salem Baptist Church where she served as Sunday school treasurer and was a member of the WMU.
She is survived by her children: Brenda & Larry Brown of Ben Hill County and Donnie & Dawn Gibbs of Ben Hill County; grandchildren: Kristie Brown Cleghorn & Mac, Kendall Boyd, Kelli Gibbs Griffin & Ryan, and Kole James Gibbs; great-grandchildren: Cam Cleghorn, Bree Boyd, Blaire Boyd, Elli Ash, and Molli Griffin; and sisters-in-law: Betty James of Fitzgerald, Lillian Cleghorn of Apopka, Florida, JoAnn White of Fitzgerald, and Lina Perry of Lake Blackshear. Many nieces and nephews also survive. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, James F. Gibbs; and four brothers: Bill James, Ralph James, J.D. Cleghorn, and W.L. James.
The family suggests those desiring to send memorials may send them to Salem Baptist Church, c/o Teresa Smith, 300 A.L. Reeves Road, Rochelle, GA 31079.