Ola Lee Mann-Gibbs, 91

Ola Lee Mann-Gibbs, 91, passed away April 2, 2012, at her home.

Born June 4, 1920 in Engelhard, N.C., Mann-Gibbs often said she was unable to complete her education because she had to help raise her siblings after the early death of her mother, but that never stopped her from reading and studying her Bible.

She and James W. Gibbs were married May 14, 1936. They later moved to Delaware with her siblings and five of their 11 children. She became well-known in Georgetown for the love and kindness she shared, and she was considered a mother and grandmother to many. She worked at Paramount Chicken Factory for several years before retiring.

Mann-Gibbs became a Christian in her earlier years. She became part of a home church, going from house to house until their church was built. She cooked, sponsored many fundraising dinners and became a founding member of the Booker Street Church of God. There, she was one of three missionaries and was a Church Mother, helping in many other areas. She often spoke of crossing the Jordan to be with the Lord, who was the source of her strength and life.

Mann-Gibbs was remembered for her Sunday dinners, words of encouragement, a tendency to make others laugh and her favorite song, “I Got Something to Thank the Lord For.” Her family recalled that one never knew what she might say until it came out of her mouth.

Mann-Gibbs was preceded in death by her parents, James and Maggie Mann; one son, Wilbert; three brothers, Robert, Tom and Wilson; and three sisters, Pearl, Marie and Ellamae. She is survived by her husband of 75 years, James William Gibbs; 10 children, James Jr. and his wife, Margret, of Laurel, Del., Lola Jackson and her husband, Eugene, of Seaford, Del., Mable Hopkins and her husband, Donald, of Georgetown, Del., Lilly Williams and her husband, Robert, of Harbeson, Del., Kay Purnell of Georgetown, Thomas of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Frank and his wife Mary, of Georgetown, Robert of Ellendale, Kenny, and his wife, Melvina, of Harbeson, and Joetta Harmon and her husband, William, of Belltown; one nephew, Mack Mann; one daughter-in-law, Dorothy Gibbs of Boston, Mass.; 29 grandchildren; 91 great-grandchildren; 27 great-great-grandchildren; three sisters, Jessie Cole of New York, and Patricia Mann and Delores Andrews of Seaford; and numerous extended family members.