Mr. Richard Kendall “Ken” Gibson Sr., 58, passed away April 29.  Visitation was held on Sunday, May 1 at Dunklin Daniels Funeral Home from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. on May 2 at the First Baptist Church of Greenville with Jay Rice, Coach Larry Blakeney and Daniel Autrey officiating.  Burial was held at the Springhill United Methodist Church Cemetery, 1079 Gibson Road, Greenville, Ala., with Dunklin Daniels Funeral Home directing.  A celebration of life luncheon was held at the Gibson home following the graveside service.

Ken was born Oct. 24, 1957 in Fort Deposit, Ala., where he attended Fort Deposit Academy until his tenth-grade year, at which time he transferred to Fort Dale Academy in Greenville.  During his time at Fort Dale, he was a star athlete participating in football, baseball and track.  As a senior he was voted Most Valuable Player and team captain.  Ken was also named to the Alabama Private School Association All-State Team and an APSA All-Star.

Ken attended Northwest Mississippi Community College on a football scholarship.  He received many accolades there and later served as an assistant graduate coach.

With a desire to return home, Ken began working with Mr. Charlie Haigler at Fort Deposit Motor Company, now Greenville Motor Company.  He was instrumental in the progress of the Motor Company for 35 years, serving our community through his work there.

Ken was a devoted supporter of Fort Dale Academy, where he served on the board of directors for several years, helped lead the effort to establish the baseball/softball complex, and was proud to be the Voice of the Eagles for more than 16 years.  One of Ken’s most cherished achievements was his induction into the Fort Dale Academy Hall of Fame in 2014 alongside of his son, Kendall.

Ken was a fixture at Troy University Athletic Events for more than 25 years. Ken, Pat and Hope enjoyed cheering on Kendall for the five years he was a member of the Troy Trojan football team, and in the years since as Kendall served as graduate assistant coach at Troy.  Ken took great joy in being part of the Troy family.

Ken was preceded in death by his father, Raymond “Sonny” Gibson; and brother, Christopher Wade Gibson. He is survived by his wife, Patricia Smith Gibson; daughter, Hope Gibson Langston (Ty); son, Richard Kendall Gibson Jr.; mother, Mary Lou Heartsill Davis; sister, Cindy Gibson Woodson; and an enormous extended family of relatives and many dear friends.

Pallbearers were Tim Bryan, Malcolm Callen, Clint Lowery, Ronnie “Rock” Idland, Edward “Bubba” Mims, Phillip Murphy, Don Owens, Larry Philpot, Speed Sampley and Ryan Williams.  Honorary pallbearers were Charles Haigler and the employees of Greenville Motor Company, Zoo Daddy Hunting Club members, Wolf Creek Hunting Club members, Tommy Barganier, Al Brannon, David Brantley, Jim “Booty” Bruce, Jack Callen, Sam Cates, Ren Heartsill, Milton Luckie, Colin “Big C” MacGuire, Reggie Mantooth, Ernie Poole and Bobby Terrell.

Ken proved himself to be a good friend to Fort Deposit and Greenville with his generous spirit and a servant’s heart.  To honor his memory and passions, the family requests contributions be made to The Trojan Pride Scholarship – honoring the service of Jimmy Gardner and Ken Gibson, 840 Fort Dale Road, Greenville, AL 36037; or the FDA SGA Voice of the Eagles Scholarship, 1100 Gamble Street, Grenville, AL 36037.

For online condolences, please visit www.dunklinanddanielsfh.com.