- Date Of Birth: June 6, 1921
- Date Of Death: June 19, 2017
- State: Colorado
Virginia was born in Orland, Maine in on June 6, 1921 to Manley & Beulah Gray and grew up during the Great Depression. She had two brothers, Carol and Ralph; and three sisters, Margaret, Mildred, and Leona. Times were tough and money was scarce, so Virginia took a series of jobs beginning at an early age. Since there was no high school in Orland, she attended high school in Old Town, Maine, where she worked for room and board. Extracurricular activities were few (except for work!). Virginia was a dedicated straight-A-student. Virginia met her husband, Jess S. Gibson, in September of 1941 after being setup on a blind date by their respective siblings. She first noticed he was good looking and well behaved, but she wasn’t sure whether it would amount to all that much. Much to their own surprise, they were soon married in January of 1942, 18 days before Jess was shipped out on military orders. Over Jess’ 27 years in the military, they would live and travel to various parts of the United States and Europe. Together, Virginia and Jess had 3 beautiful children, Keith, Karen, and Carla. Virginia claimed being a mom was the most rewarding work she has ever done. She also admitted it to be her greatest challenge to raise three teenagers while her husband served during Vietnam.
