James W. Gibbs

James W. Gibbs, age 78, of Bellingham, passed away peacefully Wednesday, October 29, 2014 at St. Francis of Bellingham.  He was born in Bellingham on November 7, 1935 to Norman A. and Ruth Mary (Wilson) Gibbs.  James was born deaf and couldn’t speak.  He attended The Washington School for the Deaf in Vancouver, Washington from 1942 to 1957.   In 1957, at age 22, he went to work for Haggen as a Sign Painter where he worked for 43 years until his retirement in 2001.   James was always grateful to Don and Rick Haggen for giving him a job and treating him with respect.  He considered the Haggen employees his “family”.  James loved to travel-especially to Hawaii; take photos, and build and fly remote controlled airplanes. He is survived by 5 nephews: Jeff(Tracy) Gibbs; Brad Gibbs, both of Renton; Randy(Mary) Gibbs of Auburn; Cory(Terry) Gibbs of Tacoma;  Norm(Cindy) Gibbs of South Carolina; 1 niece, Ruth(Doug) Millett of New Hampshire, and close friends Janel & Jerry Ernster of Birch Bay who lovingly cared for him for years.   Special thanks to the St. Francis of Bellingham and Whatcom Hospice Staff for their tender care of James.  A graveside service will be held Tuesday, November 4, 2014, 11:00 AM at Greenacres Cemetery, Ferndale.  In memory of James, donations may be made to Whatcom Hospice, The St. Francis Foundation, or the Hearing, Speech & Deafness Center (HSDC) Northsound.