Verla Ione Gibbs, age 99 ½, passed away peacefully on July 16, 2017. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 22, at 11:00 a.m., at Colbern Road Restoration Branch. She will be laid to rest in Mound Grove Cemetery at a later date. Contributions may be made to Waldo Avenue Restoration Branch in her honor. Verla was born on January 3, 1918, in Millersburg, Illinois, to Glenn and Orpha (Winders) Holmes. She married Sam Albert Gibbs in June 20, 1937, and to this union were born three children. She and her family moved to Independence in 1952. Verla was a homemaker, but also a “Jane of All Trades.” She was handy, creative, and artistic. She was a published author of two books, and enjoyed writing poetry as well. She taught herself how to paint, and she developed her own film from the pictures she took. Music was her great passion – she composed songs and had a knack for picking up any instrument and easily learning how to play it. She loved to entertain her children – they recall how she once hand-dug a hole in their backyard, filled it with water, and welcomed all the neighborhood kids to come over and swim. Verla was a woman of deep faith, and was a member of the RLDS church for the majority of her life. Verla is survived by her beloved family: children, Mona Thompson, Rogene Gibbs (wife, Carol), and Charlotte Hulmes; 6 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; 13 great-great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews, and extended family. She is preceded in death by her husband, Sam Gibbs; siblings, Donna Schuler and Ivan Holmes; son-in-law, Edwin Lee Thompson Jr.; and grandson, Edwin Lee Thompson III. Online condolences may be expressed at www.speakschapel.com.