Richard Gibson started his life in Western Pennsylvania, on the outskirts of Pittsburgh. He spent part of his childhood in Idaho Falls, Idaho before returning to make his home not once but twice with an interlude in Philadelphia. Living in Pittsburgh allowed Rich to enjoy the mountains and rivers and likes, not just of Western Pennsylvania but also of West Virginia, where wild and wonderful was a personal motto, not just a state slogan.

Gibson never met a mountain he didn’t want to climb up or ski down, a river, stream or lake he didn’t want to paddle or raft, he never met a trail he didn’t want to hike and enjoyed traveling across the country with his wife, Kieren “Kerry” Duffy-Gibson, exploring the next handhold and foothold, bike trail, cave and cove. He also ran half-marathons, competed in the Senior Games and was occasionally known to stand still long enough to cast a line or wave a Terrible Towel. He turned his love of the outdoors into a role volunteering for the Sierra Club. He spent a life in service to others working as a case manager and administrator for Social Security and gave his time to the Red Cross and as a mentor for the Fast Start Program at his alma mater, Penn State.

Gibson matched his adventurous spirit to an off-kilter sense of humor and is praised for being a co-conspirator in avoiding his mom’s cooking. True to character, he asked for a Viking funeral in his beloved kayak in the waterways of the state he loved as a boy and where he returned to spend what were to be his golden years. Brain cancer put a tarnish on his retirement, but he remained sharp and witty, reading, ever learning while indulging in his favorite mocha lattes.

He is missed and fondly remembered not just by his wife, Kieren, but also by his sister Cheryl (Randy) Sorensen and their daughter Tamara, and his sister Allison Gibson, as well as extended family, colleagues and friends.