Gilbert Whitsel

Gilbert L. “Gib” Whitsel, Jr. 97, of Columbus Junction and long-time citizen of Fort Wayne, Indiana passed away peacefully in the wee hours of Monday April 22.

Gib was born on Friday, August 13, 1926, in West Lafayette, Indiana. He was the son of Gilbert Whitsel, Sr. and Geneve (Rawles) Whitsel. He graduated from Klondike High School in April 1944 during the middle of WW II and after brief summer work he was inducted into the Infantry  at Camp Robinson near Little Rock, Arkansas. He was shipped to the Pacific where he fought against the Japanese at Luzon in the Philippines.

After the war ended, Gib was sent to Nagoya, Japan where he served in the Army of Occupation. It was there perhaps that his interest in ornamental landscape was sparked. Upon Gib’s discharge in November 1946 he returned home where he enrolled at Purdue University, studying Forestry at first, but soon switching to Horticulture.

At Purdue he met Marian L. McKibben of Valparaiso. They married on November 26, 1948.

After graduation they moved to northeastern Indiana, eventually settling in Fort Wayne. He worked as a horticulturalist, acting as chief landscape designer for the parks, notably the tulip displays at Foster Park. But the crown jewel of Gib’s tenure with the Parks Department was his landscape design for the original Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo.

Gib was inspired to write a weekly column, ALMANAC FOR GARDENERS, which appeared each Friday evening in the News & Sentinel for nearly 15 years. Whitsel left the Fort Wayne Parks Department eventually to start his own landscaping firm Whitsel Landscape Services. His design creativity won admirers in old and new neighborhoods as Fort Wayne grew. Later Gib helped establish the Landscape Technology Program at Ivy Tech, coordinating, and teaching courses.

Gib and Marian Whitsel raised three boys Randall “Randy”, Tim, and Benjamin. Gib’s faith and daily walk with Jesus were central to everything he did. Prayer and Bible study undergirded Gib Whitsel all his days. The family was active in the formation and growth of Fort Wayne’s Avalon Missionary Church where Gib served as a deacon on the Missions Board. Gib cared for his wife Marian for more than a decade as she suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.

In 2017 Gib moved to Columbus Junction, Iowa to be near his oldest son Randy and wife Mary Beth (Bonnichsen) Carey. He lived independently at 820 Springer Avenue until moving into the Colonial Manor nursing facility across the lawn at 96 years of age. Gib was preceded in death by his wife Marian, his sister Jane (Whitsel) Bollman, and most recently his oldest son Randy. It seems fitting that a man who loved soil and everything that grows should pass away on Earth Day.

A celebration of Gib’s life will be held at the Victory Christian Center in Columbus Junction on Saturday May the 4th (with visitation at 10am) and service at 11am. Reception to follow. His body will be transported to Fort Wayne, Indiana to be buried alongside Marian his late wife. Gib will be missed by his sons, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and many whose lives he touched along the way.

In lieu of flowers, Memorial gifts may be directed to Allen County Parks (Fox Island Restoration) or the Hospice of Washington County.  Online condolences may be left at www.sandhfuneralservice.com.  The Snyder & Hollenbaugh Funeral & Cremation Services of Columbus Junction is caring for Gib’s family and arrangements.             

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