Claire S. Gibson, 85, of Oak Bluffs died on Tuesday, Jan. 27, in the company of family members at the JML Care Center in Falmouth.
Born Claire Shirley Darling on July 9, 1929, at the cottage hospital in Oak Bluffs, her parents were William Leslie Darling and Dorothy Laura House.
Claire graduated from the Oak Bluffs Grammar School and North Quincy High School. She subsequently worked as a secretary in the Metro Goldwyn Mayer distribution office in Boston, and later in the office of Brown & Sharpe in Providence, R.I.
Claire had a passion for dance. In early childhood, she dreamed of becoming a ballerina, and as a beautiful and lithe young woman, found eager partners at the Tivoli dance hall in Oak Bluffs, and later, at Boston-area venues like Wonderland and the Totem Pole.
Claire was married three times. Her first two marriages, to Stanley Wilson and William Whitehead, respectively, ended in divorce. She found her true soulmate and life partner, Frank G. “Butch” Gibson Jr., in 1964. All predeceased her.
A devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, Claire loved card games, reading, knitting, and word puzzles. When Butch and the children became involved in scouting, she did too, serving as a Cub Scout, Brownie, and Girl Scout leader.
After the children were grown, Claire and Butch became devoted RV travelers, touring large swaths of the country with a 24-foot trailer in tow. When not on the road, Claire spent some of the happiest times of her life with her husband, children, and grandchildren at Maple Park Campground in Wareham.
In addition to her husband, Claire was predeceased by her sibling, Hubert Darling. She is survived by her children, David Wilson and Bertha Blake, both of Oak Bluffs; their spouses, Susan Wilson and Danny Blake; stepson Frank G. Gibson III and stepdaughter Brenda Kennedy; grandchildren Michael, Daniel, and Aaron Blake, Elizabeth (Wilson) Deren, Alison Wilson, and Heather Gibson; and 10 great-grandchildren.
Visitation hours are on Saturday, Feb. 14, from noon to 1 pm at the Chapman, Cole & Gleason funeral home on State Road in Oak Bluffs. A brief service will follow.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to JML Care Center, 184 Ter Huen Drive, Falmouth, MA 02540.