Charles Lynwood Gibson

WEAVERVILLE—Charles Lynwood Gibson, age 74, of Weaverville, died Sunday, June 16, 2013, at Mission Hospital in Asheville. A native of Darlington County, S.C., Lynwood lived in Columbia, S.C., for 46 years until retirement and then moved to Weaverville where he and his wife Barbara Gibson have lived for the past eight years. He was the son of the late Rex and Anna Bell Gibson of Darlington. Lynwood was also preceded in death by his son Rex Gibson of Columbia, S.C. At age 18 he took a warehouse job with Dixie Electronics and worked for the company, which would change names over the years, until he retired in 2002 as Vice President/Controller of Operations and Administration. He was a casual golfer, a NASCAR and Gamecock fan and fond of backyard birding. He especially enjoyed volunteering as the Treasurer for the Highland Pointe Home Owner's Association. On February 11, 2005, Lynwood received a lung transplant at Cleveland Clinic after suffering from terminal idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. He was eternally grateful to the donor and their family. He celebrated his birthday on the transplant date from then on. This new lung gave him eight and a half more years of life which allowed him to enjoy his seven grandchildren, meet his two great grandchildren and watch all of them grow. He made new friends in a wonderful community in the mountains he loved and had eight more years with a wife he cherished. His family is grateful to Cleveland Clinic and Heart Path Rehabilitation of Asheville for taking such great care of him. He is survived by his wife, Barbara, of 30 years; his daughter, Leisl Webster of McConnells; S.C.; step-daughters, Susan Walters of Brunswick, Ga., Katie Hartley and husband Skipper of Atlanta, Ga., Camille Walters and husband Tim Puyleart of Milwaukee, Wis; seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, as well as his brother, Travis Gibson and wife Sara Ellen of Hartsville, S.C. His memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Thursday, June 20, 2013, in the Chapel of West Funeral Home, 17 Merrimon Ave., Weaverville. The family will greet friends following the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the United Network for Organ Sharing at http://unos.org or the Lung Transplant Center of Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44195, Attn: Dr. Maria Budev. For those who desire, condolences may be offered to the family under Mr. Gibson's obituary at www.WestFamilyFuneralServices.com.