Raymond Lowell Gibson

Raymond Lowell Gibson, 84, of Asheville, North Carolina, passed away after a brief illness on December 5, 2018 at the Charles George Veterans Medical Center. He was born on July 15, 1934 in Cleveland, Ohio to Hubert Gibson and Eller Owens Gibson. In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his six older sisters, Thelma Pallante, Delores Landstrom, Azalea Zilinski, Alma Pallante, Mildred Williams, and Georgene Sheldon.

Ray graduated from East High School in the class of 1953 and served in the Air Force from 1953 to 1957, stationed in Crete and Turkey. He graduated cum laude from Kent State University, earning his BFA in Art-Illustration and Advertising in 1963. Ray was a talented graphic designer and artist who freely shared his experience with colleagues. He worked for Industrial Publishing, Penton Publishing, Cleveland Magazine, Case Western Reserve University, and Harvest Publishing in Cleveland, Ohio, and eventually co-founded a successful family business, CityCom Inc., in the 1980s.

Ray was active as a deacon at Forest Hill Presbyterian Church, in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. He was passionate about social justice, as well as classical music, the arts, cinema, and literature, and he avidly participated in philosophy and writing groups, book and film clubs in his later years. An avid cyclist in his youth, Ray began cycling again in his seventies while he lived in Naples, Florida to stay in shape, and when he moved to Asheville, he greatly enjoyed his daily bike rides along the French Broad River well into his eighties.

Ray is survived by his children, Roz Gibson (Dwight Dutton) of Valencia, California, Ben Gibson of Durango, Colorado, Rachel Joyeux (Frederic) of Saint Paul, Minnesota, and Lesley Gibson of New York, New York; grandson, Emrys Joyeux of Saint Paul, MN; former wives, Jo Gibson (née Korosy) and Susan Porter (née Davis); eleven nephews and 8 nieces.

Services will be held on January 18, 2019 at 2:00 PM in the chapel at the Western Carolina State Veterans Cemetery in Black Mountain, North Carolina. A memorial service will follow in Cleveland, Ohio on January 20, 2019, time and location to be determined at a later date. The family extends their heartfelt thanks for the extraordinary care Ray received from the staff in the ICU and Valor Hospice at the Charles George VA Medical Center.

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