Obituary of Esther Mathilda Gibian

Esther Mathilda (Arvidson) Gibian, age 87, died Monday, January 9, 2012. Born Esther Mathilda Arvidson in Butler, NJ on May 21, 1924, she was the third of six children. She graduated from Butler High School in1942, having played the clarinet in the marching band. She later did secretarial work in New York City. In 1948 she married Robert Joeckel and they settled in Wayne, where they lived until Bob's death in 1969. Their son Warren Joeckel survives her and remains a Wayne resident. Later, mutual friends introduced her to Charles Gibian, and they married in 1978. In 1981 they moved to Virginia's Eastern Shore where they enjoyed proximity to several members of both their families, as well as the relaxed pace of life. She returned to Wayne to live with her son in 2005, having lost Charlie two years earlier. Declining health led to a move to Cedar Crest in 2010, where she enjoyed the gardens and daily visits from family. She is survived by sister Joan Jordan and husband Russell; sister Myrna Babcock and husband Donald; sisters-in-law Linda Arvidson and Fran Gibian; and brother-in-law Stanley Joeckel. Also surviving her are sixteen nieces and nephews; stepchildren Patricia Carew and husband Michael, William Gibian and wife Carol, and Richard Gibian and wife Jeanne; and their children and extended families. A memorial service will be held at Pompton Reformed Church in Pompton Lakes, 59 Hamburg Tpke, Pompton Lakes, at noon on Saturday, Jan. 21. Cremains will be interred there in the spring. Contributions to the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation are requested in lieu of flowers.