Clyde Allen Gibson

Clyde Allen Gibson Bartow - Clyde Allen Gibson, 65, passed away after a hard-fought battle with cancer on Friday, March 24, 2017 surrounded by family at his home on Lake Buffum.  He is treasured by his wife of twenty-eight years, Deanna Gibson of Bartow, and two children, Anna Mae Akers (Christopher) of Washington, D.C. and William Gibson of Bartow. He is also survived by his sister Cheryl Gibson Smith and niece Sommer White (Blake) of Atlanta, GA; grandmother-in-law Hattie Garcia, father-in-law William Simpson and mother-in-law Carolyn Simpson of Bartow; and, brother-in-law Hank Simpson (Julie), nephew Alec Simpson and niece Olivia Simpson of McKinney, TX. He is preceded in death by his father, Dr. Clyde E. Gibson, mother, Ann Gibson, and nephew, Ian Smith.  Clyde was born and raised in Bartow, graduated from Emory University summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English, and earned a Juris Doctorate from Barry University. He proudly served as president of Gibson and Wirt, Inc.-a Gibson family business since 1912 and the oldest independent insurance agency in the state-where he also worked as an insurance agent and real estate broker. Alongside his two best friends from childhood, Drew Guffey and Steve Brown, the trio expanded the business over four decades of partnership, ringing in the agency’s centennial in 2012. In recent years, Clyde, Drew and Steve expanded into the firearms business, opening a branch of Shoot Straight in Lakeland.  A native son of Bartow, Clyde cherished time spent investing in the community. Over decades he passionately served as a volunteer firefighter, member of the Polk County Taxpayer’s League board of directors, the Bartow Rotary Club, and the Bartow High School Booster club. His dedicated service to the community earned him the Spirit of Bartow award, the Chamber of Commerce’s "Can-Do-Super-Doer" award, and Rotary International’s Paul Harris Fellow award.  A prolific reader, perennial learner, and local arts enthusiast, Clyde dedicated his civic life to supporting education. He was instrumental in bringing the International Baccalaureate School to Bartow, as well as, starting up the Better Education for Students of Today and Tomorrow organization. He also served on the board of directors of the Apple School, an elementary charter school. Personally, Clyde built a home library rivaling a friendly corner bookstore.  When he couldn’t be found on Main Street or on Lake Buffum, Clyde was most likely deep in the Georgia woods hunting deer or the Florida Everglades fishing for snook. Since childhood, he hunted with his family and friends at the May Bluff Hunt Club in Charlton County, Georgia, where he was affectionately known by his CB handle, "Coon Dog." For years, Clyde ran coon hounds as world-class deer dogs for the club, raising dozens of hounds at his Lake Buffum home. As an avid angler, Clyde and his friends incorporated the Nauti-Buoy Inc. fishing club at the last remaining privately owned cabin in the 10,000 Islands of the Everglades. Clyde’s passion for hunting and fishing also took him on expeditions to far-flung locales such as Brazil, Argentina, Canada and the American West.  Visitation will be held from 10:00 - 11:00 am followed by a memorial service at 11:00 am on Wednesday, March 29, 2017, at the Bartow Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, 205 E. Stanford St, Bartow, with Reverend Robert Patrick and Pastor Hank Frisbie officiating.  To honor Clyde, contributions may be made to Shriners Hospitals for Children (2900 N. Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, FL 33607), St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (501 St Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105), or Cornerstone Hospice Foundation (2445 Lane Park Road, Tavares, FL 32778).