Obituary of Carol Pemberton Gibbens

Carol Pemberton Gibbens, 90, of Loveland, Colorado, passed away peacefully with family by her side on March 14, 2023, after a brief illness.

Carol was born on September 21, 1932, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Marvin Pemberton and Melville Rice. After high school, Carol went on to attend and graduate from Oklahoma A&M College (now Oklahoma State University) with a Bachelors Degree from the College of Home Economics.

Carol married her high school sweetheart, the late Dan Gibbens, in 1954 in Oklahoma City. Carol and Dan had two children, Mike and Bob, and were married for 57 years prior to Dan’s passing in 2011.

Apart from brief stints in Hawaii and New York, Carol and Dan spent nearly all of their lives in Oklahoma. As a result of Dan serving as the Faculty Representative for the University of Oklahoma (OU) for nearly 30 years, Carol and Dan traveled all over the country in support of OU athletics. They had many wonderful experiences and made many lifelong friends on those trips. In addition to her support of OU athletics, Carol was also very involved with the OU College of Law, where Dan taught for nearly 40 years, as well as PEO, the Episcopal church, and the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.

An avid bridge player, Carol passed her love of bridge on to her sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren. Family gatherings were a big part of Carol’s life, including holidays and family summer vacations. Many nights during those family get-togethers were spent chatting, listening to music, and playing bridge well into the wee hours, memories of which are still cherished to this day by her surviving family members. Carol’s fun-loving nature was always on full display during family events, and that characteristic has been passed on to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Carol was a gracious host and shared her love of cooking with all who visited her. Every surviving member of her family has their favorite “Mimi” recipe, as Carol was affectionately known to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Many of those recipes became traditions during family occasions, and will continue to be cherished by her surviving family members for generations to come.

Carol moved to Colorado in 2020 to be around her family, most of whom live in Colorado. Carol is survived by her two sons, Mike and Bob, five grandchildren, and eight great grandchildren. A memorial service and celebration of life will be held in Norman, Oklahoma at a later date, where Carol will be laid to rest next to her beloved husband, Dan. In lieu of sending flowers, the family requests that you make donations to:

Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation

Delta Sigma Scholarship Endowment Fund

6640 Riverside Drive, Ste. 200

Dublin, OH 43017

 …or…

OU Law Emergency Relief Fund – you may Contribute to the OU Law Emergency Relief Fund by check made payable to the University of Oklahoma Foundation, memo: "OU Law Emergency Relief Fund," and mailed to:

The University of Oklahoma Foundation

P.O. Box 258856

Oklahoma City, OK 73125-8856

NOTE: additional information about this foundation may be found at https://law.ou.edu/ways-give

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