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96 South Main Street, Nephi, Utah 84648 - Voice: 435 623-0525 - FAX: 435 623-4735 News for September 11, 2024 |
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Mariann Christine Sinksen Gibson was born November 12, 1947 in San Jose, California to Emil Fred and Laura Marie (Stromer) Sinksen passed away on September 5, 2024 in Logan, UT at the age of 76. She was the youngest of seven children and grew up in several places, predominantly in northern California. Her childhood was filled with long car rides, criss-crossing the country, which fueled her lifelong passion for travel. Her favorite place growing up was Mountain View, California; her family would make their final move to Roseville, California, where she graduated from Roseville High School in 1965. She attended Sierra College where she was a member of the drill team. She loved history and always wanted to be an archaeologist. As a young adult, she trained as a skydiver in Pennsylvania and made many successful solo jumps. She would eventually settle in Lake Tahoe, California, where she reveled in the natural beauty of the lake and mountains. She took a job at Harrah’s Hotel and Casino in Lake Tahoe, Nevada as a cashier. While at Harrah’s, she had the opportunity to enjoy several performances by musicians and entertainers, including her personal favorite performance by Sammy Davis Jr. During her time there she also caught the eye of and was “picked up from a barstool” by a slot machine shift manager, Allan Gibson. Allan and Mariann were married on July 5, 1971 in Nevada. She broke tradition by wearing a very fashionable, light yellow, lace mini skirt dress. Instead of a reception, they celebrated with her parents at a live show of Lawrence Welk at the casino. Mariann continued to work at the casino until a baby bump didn’t fit in the cashier’s booth anymore. She gave birth to her first child, Kelly, in 1972. In 1976 they added their second daughter, Rebecca. In 1977, they moved to Nephi, Utah, where Allan took over running the family newspaper with his brother Vance. While living in Nephi they added three more children: Christopher in 1978, Sarah in 1984, and Sean in 1991. Mariann worked diligently to ensure that her children had a good life. She worked several jobs in Nephi including at Frost-T-Freez, Safeway, Cedar Hollow Restaurant, the Nephi City Swimming Pool, and in the Juab School District as a teacher’s aide. She wrote a column for The Times- News for many years before she took over as the editor in 1993. She served as the editor for the newspaper for seventeen years before retiring in 2010. Mariann had a passion for volunteer service and helping others. She served in many positions in the 20th Century Literary Club and enjoyed the friendships she made there. She found many ways to serve Nephi and the broader Utah community, such as volunteering at the Juab County Fair, visiting and spending time with the residents of Canyon Hills Health Care Center, volunteering for the Utah Special Olympics, assisting with local Cub Scout troops, and making and donating quilts, hand-sewn clothing, and knitted items to hospitals or other charity services. Mariann’s greatest passion was for the Girl Scouts, where she served as a local troop leader for several decades. Mariann’s service in the Girl Scouts has inspired and touched the lives of dozens of girls in Utah, where she strove to instill an appreciation for cultural diversity, sustainability, community service, and compassion for others. By far her greatest loves were her children and grandchildren. Whenever a child or grandchild took up a hobby, interest, or passion, Mariann would often take it upon herself to help her child pursue that passion and often became immersed herself. Mariann became well-versed in topics such as cycling, taekwondo, music (piano lessons, drumming, accordion orchestra, Scottish pipe- band, and school band), dinosaurs, dance (clogging and drill team), travel, science and STEM workshops, etc. She enjoyed Sunday dinners with her children and grandchildren who lived close by, and FaceTimed on her phone with her children and grandchildren who lived far away. Though she dedicated much of her time to her children, she also pursued her own interests. Mariann was a huge movie buff who was proud of her expansive, curated collection. She was a big fan of the Olympics and would watch as many of the events as she could. She especially loved the opening ceremonies and would rewatch ceremonies from previous years. In 2002 she was selected to carry the Olympic torch in Nephi—a moment that truly honored her for her service to the community. Mariann was a talented seamstress and loved sewing. In her youth she made much of her own wardrobe, and she made much of her children’s clothing when they were young. Later, she took up counted cross-stitch and had many intricate, beautiful, award-winning pieces entered in the county fair over the years. She is survived by her husband Allan, and five children: Kelly (Kevin) Grieves, Spokane, WA; Rebecca (Heath) Dopp, Nephi; Chris (Claudia Schwabe) Gibson, Logan, UT; Sarah (Matt Davis) Gibson of St. Cloud, MN; and Sean (Tao Ran) Gibson of Beijing, China; ten grandchildren: Felix and Nadia Grieves; Austin and Ryan Dopp, Emily (Brock) Durffee; Heidi and Emilia Gibson; Logan and Gwendolyn Davis; and Siobhan Gibson; one great-grandson, William Durffee, and one great- granddaughter, due in December; one sister, Marlowe Odhner; brother-in-law, Daryl Gibson, and sister-in-law Sonya Gibson. She was preceded in death by her parents, sisters Dolores Sinksen, Karlene Endicott, Carol Holmes; brothers Bill Sinksen, Gail Sinksen; brothers-in-law Ed Endicott, Jerry Odhner, Nelson Holmes, Vance Gibson, Cliff Birrell; sisters-in-law Joyce Sinksen, Shirley Birrell, and Judy Gibson. As per her wishes, there will be no funeral and she will be cremated and her ashes spread at her favorite place, Lake Tahoe (but not in the lake, it’s too cold). In lieu of flowers, please donate to Girl Scouts of Utah, Festival of Trees, or a charity of your choice.
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