Marie Gibson

Marie (Mieke) Hendrika Jongkees Gibson

Marie (Mieke) Hendrika Jongkees Gibson, passed away July 31 ^st , 2014 after valiantly struggling with the effects of Rheumatoid Arthritis for 48 years.  Her body was totally crippled and spent, but her mind was sharp and clear until the end.  She was born March 19 ^th , 1934 in Den Helder, The Netherlands. Mieke was a vibrant young woman, full of energy and talent while growing up in Holland, excelling in drama and music, and becoming a very accomplished pianist.   Mieke was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the age of 16 and emigrated to the U.S. two years later, in September of 1952 with her father and sister Jeannette.  She worked in the Salt Lake Genealogical Society for a time and studied for one year at BYU.  While studying there she met Charles Barndt and they were married in July of 1955 and lived in San Diego.  They had two children, a son David (deceased), and a daughter Dianne Johnson (Rob).  She divorced Charles in the Spring of 1961.

While living in Southern California, Mieke worked as a lab technician in a doctor’s office for several years.  On June 15 ^th , 1968, she married Hi F Gibson in the Los Angeles LDS Temple.  In 1969, they had a foster son from the Indian Placement Program, Ross Dia , who joined their family and lived with them for two years.  Together Hi and Mieke had 5 children; Hi Evan, Theresa Gedris (David), Dereck, Michael, and Jonathan (Tabitha).  They have eight living grandchildren.  They lived in Fontana, California for five years and moved to Utah in 1973.  Mieke was active in the LDS faith and taught in all of the auxiliaries of the Church.

Mieke was known for her love of the scriptures and for the Lord.  She was faithful to that testimony which sustained her until the time of her death.  Mieke spent a lot of time reading, studying and pondering the scriptures and loved teaching others the inspiration and wisdom she found in the Holy text. Her love, compassion, kindness and great memory will truly be missed.

Mieke will be remembered for many things, one being her great memory; often with family gatherings, she would be the go to person to recall details of past family or other events.  She was a dedicated wife and mother; had a great listening ear for her children and others who needed to talk.  Mieke was an accomplished musician; in her earlier days, she played the organ and piano and was quite proficient before the arthritis crippled her hands to where she could no longer play these instruments.  She also loved to sing.   Her greatest joy, however, was her family, with whom she maintained a close personal relationship with until the day of her passing.

Mieke is preceded in death by her parents, a brother J. Paul Jongkees, her son David Gibson and granddaughter Rebekah Gibson.  She is survived by her husband Hi Gibson, six children and eight grandchildren.  She is also survived by two sisters, Els Jongkees and Jeannette Koning.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, August 9, 2014 at 11 a.m., with a viewing prior to the services from  9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., at the American Fork 38 ^th LDS Ward Chapel, located at 2433 West 450 South,  Pleasant Grove, Utah (if using a GPS use American Fork as the city).

Interment will take place at the Lindquist Memorial Park at Layton, 1867 N. Fairfield Road.  Dedication of the grave will take place at 3:00 p.m.