Robert Irwin Gibbs, Jr.

Robert I. Gibbs Jr., 96, a longtime physician in Decatur, died on Sept. 20 after a brief illness.
The only child of Beulah Free and Robert I. Gibbs Sr., Bobby Gibbs attended Atlanta public schools, including Moreland Avenue Elementary, Bass Junior High and the former Boys High. He was an Eagle Scout and a strong supporter of the Boy Scouts throughout his life.
Bobby attended Georgia Tech, graduating with a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering in 1941. While at Tech, he participated in the Naval ROTC program for four years, earning a commission as Ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve.
Following college, Bobby took a job with DuPont in Memphis, TN. After only two months, with war looming, he was called into active duty. Bobby served in the Navy throughout World War II, first on the destroyer USS Barry for a year, and then in submarines. He was the commanding officer of the USS S-11 for much of the last year of the conflict. During the war Bobby married Jeanne Osborne of Atlanta, who survives him.
Stationed on Guam in August 1945, he was sent to Japan to help study Japanese submarine materiel and participate in the disposition of Japanese submarines.
Following his discharge in March 1946, Bobby entered Emory University Medical School, graduating with a medical degree in 1950. During medical school, he served as commanding officer of one of the Atlanta Naval Reserve units, attaining the rank of Commander USNR.
In July 1953, after three years of post-graduate training, Dr. Gibbs entered private practice in internal medicine. In his 32 years of practice, he was a member of the medical staffs of Georgia Baptist and Emory University hospitals, and later DeKalb Medical, where he served as chief of the Department of Medicine and then chief of staff.
Dr. Gibbs was an active member of the DeKalb Medical Society, the Medical Association of Georgia and the American Medical Association. He served as president of the DeKalb Medical Society in 1963.
Following his retirement, Dr. Gibbs moved to Hartwell, Ga., and remained active in medicine and community service. He served for six years on the Hart County Hospital Board of Directors, and chaired the board for three years. For about 15 years, Dr. Gibbs worked in a state-operated medical and psychiatric clinic serving Hart and Franklin counties. He twice served as president of the local chapter of the American Heart Association and was honored in 1997 by the Hartwell Rotary Club as Hart Countian of the Year.
In both Atlanta and Hartwell, Dr. Gibbs was active in church activities, serving as a deacon, choir member and Sunday School teacher at Druid Hills Baptist Church and later First Baptist Church of Hartwell. He directed the adult men's group at the Hartwell church for six years.
Dr. Gibbs moved back to Decatur in 2002. He resided at Clairmont Oaks senior housing and returned to his original home church, Druid Hills Baptist. More recently, he lived at Clairmont Place retirement community.
He is survived by son Robert Allan Gibbs of Euless, TX; daughter Marilyn Gibbs Barry (Tom) of Decatur; and grandson Robert Allan Gibbs Jr. (Kim), great-granddaughter Hailey Gibbs and great-grandson Colin Gibbs, all of Mesa, AZ.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Atlanta Area Council of the Boy Scouts, the DeKalb Medical Foundation or Druid Hills Baptist Church.
The family will receive visitors from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27, at A.S. Turner & Sons Funeral Home in Decatur. Interment will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Decatur City Cemetery.


Funeral Home:
A. S. Turner & Sons
2773 North Decatur Road
Decatur, GA
30033