In Loving Memory: Queen Esther Edwards Gipson was born on September 18, 1924 to Pearl and Lula Edwards in her words, “the backwoods of Georgia” (Barrow County, GA). When she was 19 years old, during WWII, she headed to the West Coast. After making a stop in Seattle, WA., she planted some roots in San Francisco, CA. Queen, like many young women at the time, worked in the Bayview-Hunter’s Point Shipyards from 1943-1945 in the machine shop as a machinist’s helper. During this time she helped to fix naval ships and learned how to weld, among other skills. After various jobs over the years, including work at the Department of Forestry in San Francisco and being a waitress at the St. Francis Hotel (San Francisco), in 1960, she began working as a lab technician at UC Berkeley’s Donner Laboratory until she retired in 1989. Queen Esther was a devout Catholic and parishioner at All Hallow’s Catholic Church in San Francisco for well over 60 years. She was also an active member of the Alter’s Society and the Young Ladies Institute #182. As a cancer survivor, Queen was introduced to the Shanti Project, which connected her to a volunteer who would visit her twice a week just to sit and talk. She loved sharing stories of growing up in Georgia and those chats were absolutely invaluable to her. Queen was a loving mother to 3 daughters; Linda Gipson-Gorman (Will Gorman), Benetta Gipson, and Greta Gipson-Lewis (Bryan Lewis); 3 grandchildren; Risha Wallace (Fela Thomas), Michael Gipson-Carman, Ryan Lewis; and 4 great-grandchildren; Ayo, Olu, Abi, and Ife Thomas. She was also a favored aunt to a host of nieces and nephews and a beloved cousin and friend to many. Queen passed away peacefully on Monday, March 1, 2021 at her home surrounded by love and family. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Shanti Project at www.shanti.org/donate. Their mission: "Shanti exists to enhance the health, quality of life and well-being of people with terminal, life-threatening or disabling illnesses or conditions. Through a continuum of services, including in-home and onsite patient and care navigation, emotional and practical support and preserving the human-animal bond, Shanti strives to achieve the highest medical and quality of life outcomes for San Francisco’s most vulnerable."