Rosemary Gibbons

Rosemary (Dean) Gibbons, 84, Olathe, KS, passed away Sunday, February 24, 2013 at the Kansas City Hospice House. Visitation will be from 1:00-2:00 p.m. followed by funeral services at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, February 28, 2013 at Penwell-Gabel Funeral Home and Crematory 14275 Blackbob Road, Olathe, KS followed by burial at Oaklawn Memorial Gardens, Olathe, KS. Rosemary was one of seven children born to Page Johnston Dean and Willa Helen (Arnold) Dean on July 08, 1928. Rosemary was born and attended grade school in Carrolton, MO. She and her family later moved to Lenexa, KS where she attended St. John High School in Olathe in 1946. After high school Rosemary attended Emporia State for a brief period of time. On December 25, 1946, Rosemary married Robert O. Layson. After many years of marriage, they went their separate ways. Robert passed away April 14, 1982. She later in life married Chet Gibbons and their marriage continued until he passed away on December 06, 1989. Rosemary was preceded in death by her parents Page and Helen, her siblings Ellsworth (Bud), Eleanor, Annabelle, Robert (Bobby), and George as well as her son, Charles D. Layson. Rosemary is survived by her three daughters, Joyce Watson of Olathe, KS, Janet Britt of Gardner, KS, and Jayne Dean-McGilpin of Oakland, CA. She is also survived by her sister Dorothy (Dean) Agee of Overland Park, KS. She is also survived by seven grandchildren, Allayson, Amy, DeAnn, Bryan, Laura, Greg, and Brandi. Rosemary leaves behind nine great-grandchildren, Derrick, LaToya, Lenee, Chelsey, Danell, Mathew, Kollin, Camryn, and Amari and one great great-grandchild, London.
There are many words to describe Rosemary. Just a few of them are loving, caring, generous, giving, humorous, forgiving, compassionate, smart, and curious in the sense that she was always wanting to know what was beyond whatever boundaries she was in at the moment. Rosemary loved sketching, painting, working with ceramics and anything else that pertained to art. She also loved traveling and sightseeing across the United States with her husband, Chet from Arkansas, to Wisconsin, to South Dakota and places in between. She also enjoyed visiting her children when they lived out of state.
Rosemary valued her family whether they were immediate or extended; they all owned a piece of her heart. She valued honesty and in return expected nothing less from others. She loved being social and enjoyed the company of others. Friendships were very valuable to her. If you were to ask Rosemary who was a big influence in her life, she would have to mention two people. Her father was a big influence as she enjoyed spending time with him working the farm. She often said that she would rather be in the fields with her Dad than in the house doing chores. Another large influence was her maternal Grandma Arnold. Rosemary had a very special bond with her, spending much time in her loving presence. Grandma Arnold taught her many things; perhaps most importantly was the affection of a mother's love.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to Evergreen Community of Johnson County, 11875 S. Sunset, Olathe, KS, 66062, http://www.ecojc.org or the Kansas City Hospice House, 12000 Wornall, Kansas City, MO, 64145, www.kansascityhospice.org.