Carey Lord Gibbs passed away Monday evening October 9, 2017, following a noble fight against a cancer diagnosis received shortly after celebrating his 85th birthday with family and friends.

Carey was born July 5, 1932, to Robert Aubrey and Margie Lord Gibbs. He was raised in Greensboro, North Carolina, with his sisters, Marian and Laurie, and brothers, Thomas Adin, Roger, Carl, and Ed.

As a young man in North Carolina, Carey enlisted in the Navy and traveled to Southern California to serve his country. While stationed in San Diego from 1950 to 1954, he served as the Chaplain’s assistant.

Following his discharge from service he went home to North Carolina, only to return to complete his education as a music major from Chapman College and make California his permanent home. In later years, Carey received his Master’s Degree from California State University at Fullerton.

Carey was the choir director and taught reading at Anaheim High School from 1959 to 1996. During those 37 years, he was known affectionately as Mr. Gibbs by students who loved and appreciated him so much. He left an indelible impression on so many of his students. Throughout the years, he and his wife would encounter so many of his former students along life’s way and often hear so much expression as to what a difference and influence Carey had made in their lives.

Carey also served as Minister of Music at several large churches over a period of more than 30 years. He enjoyed many years serving at Anaheim First Christian Church with their lifelong friends Rev. Ragon and Joyce Flannery from 1968 to 1984. Carey’s wife, always accompanying by his side, served as the church organist. Together, they brought beautiful music to many during Sunday church services, weddings, and funerals.

During his musical career, Carey also played the organ at the Wurlitzer exhibit on Main Street at Disneyland. In addition, he gave private instruction in voice, organ, and piano to many students through the years and also provided instruction to students at Fullerton Junior College.

In November 1966, Carey married his former student and choir accompanist, Linda Pebley. Carey and Linda would have celebrated their 51st anniversary in November. Together, they raised their family of five girls in Anaheim.

His greatest passions in life were God, family, music, and travel. Carey and Linda enjoyed more than 15 years of retirement together and traveled the beautiful lower 48 states extensively in their motorhome and even braved the Alaskan Highway for the trip of a lifetime. They returned to Alaska several times with various daughters to share this experience and the beauty.

Carey walked strong in his Christian faith and was a good and faithful servant. He knew exactly where he was headed in his final travels and he seemed at peace knowing the outcome. He was the greatest example to all of us by his strong faith, incredible love, amazing perseverance, and positive spirit.

All who knew Carey recognized him as a man of the highest moral integrity, who was loving, caring, compassionate, humble, humorous, always with a twinkle in his eyes and a smile in his heart, and always had a gentlemanly outreach to all he encountered. It was impossible to find anyone who didn’t love him and think he was the greatest of guys.

Carey is survived by his wife, Linda; daughter and son-in-law, Laurie and Bob Morey and granddaughters, Leah and Joy; daughter and son-in-law, Shirley and Rick Noble and grandchildren, Joshua, Jessica, Jason, and Jonathon; daughter, Patricia and grandchildren, Sarah and Steven; daughter and son-in-law, Marie and Fred Fanucchi and granddaughter, Kasey; and daughter and son-in-law, Carrie and David Montz and granddaughters, Sarah-beth and Caitlin.

Carey was also the loving and playful great grandfather to nine, with the tenth great grandchild expected in December. He was a wonderful and incredibly loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who was loved so deeply by all and will be missed immeasurably.

A memorial service will be held at 3:00pm, Friday, October 20, 2017, at Anaheim First Christian Church, 520 W. South St., Anaheim. The family will receive friends following the service at the home Carey loved so much in Anaheim.

Published in Orange County Register from Oct. 15 to Oct. 19, 2017

Anaheim High has lost Class of 1944 graduate Reggie (Reynolds) Massey. Her birth name was Mary Jane but this spunky lady chose to be known as Reggie. She was nearing her 91st birthday when she passed away peacefully with her family at her side.

Reggie helped launch the Anaheim High School Alumni Association (AHSAA), when she was directed in 2008 by her classmates to explore what they could do to help “Old AU.”

Cook Auditorium was identified as an area of the school that needed renovation. While a major remodel hasn’t occurred as yet, the District painted, installed new flooring and made other improvements to the historic 1,200-seat auditorium built in 1936 as a Works Progress Administration project. Architectural plans were also drawn up for a complete renovation that would improve the stage site line, upgrade equipment and restore the school’s historic Robert Morgan pipe organ. 

But more importantly, this effort brought alumni back to the school and helped provide a voice for some 3000 students.

Another of Reggie’s efforts focused on the importance of obtaining the block of buildings on Lincoln Avenue next to Cook Auditorium. In 2016, the School District purchased this large parcel of land that will be used to expand the AHS campus.

Along with planning her class reunions for many years, Reggie was a champion of the high school by donating funds and materials, including hundreds of books used for the “Read Across America” program.

Reggie was a transplant to Southern California by way of El Dorado, Texas. More about Reggie’s life may be learned from a story about her in the Orange County Register written in 2008 by Eric Carpenter (also an AHS graduate):

“Her adult life had taken her away from Anaheim.

After high school, Reggie attended Fullerton Junior College for a few months before marrying her high-school sweetheart, Robert Massey, a career Navy man who flew fighter planes in the Pacific during World War II.

After the war, the couple moved around the country before settling on the East Coast.

That’s where Reggie first got the bug to become a leader for change. When she enrolled her son in school, she noticed there was no sidewalk leading to the school. And the lumber yard next door burned wood during the day, creating a potentially dangerous cloud that drifted toward the school.

“So I went to the mayor…And before long, they built a sidewalk and stopped burning wood,” she says. “That’s where I learned: When you see something you want changed, you have to ask.”

Reggie had five children – four boys and a girl. And the family settled in Arlington, VA where she lived for 43 years. She worked full-time as an administrative assistant for a U.S. Congressman, where she learned plenty about finding the people with the power to make change.

And she gained skills as an organizer and fundraiser there too, helping start an alternative school for students unmotivated by sitting at a desk all day.

Reggie returned to Orange County every few years to visit family, but she had no plans to move back – until Valentine’s Day 2002, when her husband died after an extended battle with Alzheimer’s disease.”

Reggie (far left in front row) with her classmates at their last reunion.

Once Reggie returned to Orange County, she immediately began contacting her Colonist classmates and helped organize several reunions.

“Reggie was a visionary!  She had creative ideas that made it possible for her many friends to have a really good time together, “said classmate Gania Demaree Trotter. “Reggie’s  suggestions were always different and unique! ”

Gania related this story about Reggie: “After the excitement of graduation she topped it all off by proposing she drive six of us to Laguna Beach for an overnight by the ocean.  We spent the entire weekend laughing, swimming, and getting really sunburned! The memory of her inspired leadership and great friendship will remain with us always.”