Johnny Gibbons, age 82 of The Villages, Florida passed away suddenly, Friday, July 22, 2022. Johnny was born in Brooklyn, NY. He was married to Margaret, “Meg” Gibbons for 56 years until her death in 2021. Johnny & Meg raised their four children: Terrence (Linda), Jennifer (John), Joann (Paul) and Judith (Edward) in Travis, Staten Island from 1971-2004. He is survived by his children, eight grandchildren, his sister Mary Kestler, his brothers P.Bryan(Sheila), Stephen and more favorite cousins than one could count.
Johnny graduated from St. Francis Prep High School. In 1960, John enlisted in the US Army and was a member of the Military Police in Fort Dix, NJ. After completing his military service he earned a Bachelor’s Degree from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He continued to educate himself as a lifelong learner and was a skilled chess player. He was a Sergeant with the NYPD serving in numerous precincts in Brooklyn and Staten Island. Following his retirement from the NYPD, he became the Assistant Vice President & Manager of Corporate Security at Lehman Brothers. In his retirement years he learned to play the drum and was a member of The Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh Irish Marching Band. He participated in numerous St. Patrick’s Day Parades including many marches down 5th Avenue and one in Dublin, Ireland.
Upon his move to Florida he was an active member of the American Legion Post 347 where he dedicated the past 20 years in selfless service to US Veterans on numerous fronts. He held such positions as: member of the “40 *& 8”, The Honor Guard, and Post Commander. He was the sole caretaker for his wife, Meg, until her passing. His greatest pride was his family. He will be remembered for his incredibly quick wit, his sense of humor, his love of Ireland, Irish music and his selfless dedication to serving veterans.
