Marilyn (Tempel) Gibbs (88) passed away on April 15, 2021 due to a sudden illness.  She was born in a farmhouse in 1932 in Freeport, IL. to A.V. and Mable (Wiegmann) Bunnell and later adopted by James E. Mitchell.  She attended both St. Joseph's School and Aquin High School.

She married Kenneth L. Tempel in 1949.  A few years later they moved to Downey, California, returning to Shannon, Illinois in 1959. They moved to Freeport in 1985.  He died in 1987.  In 1990 she married John H. Gibbs, Jr.  He died in 2018.

Marilyn worked at J. C. Penney's from 1965 until her retirement in 1994.  She held various positions within Penney's eventually becoming one of the first women in a management position.  After retirement she briefly worked part-time at True Value as their display coordinator.

She was an avid book reader, crossword puzzle enthusiast, enjoyed flower gardening and spending time with grandchildren and great grandchildren.  She became an avid Chicago Cubs fan and enjoyed watching them play on tv.  She was thrilled when she finally got to see them play in person at Wrigley Field.  An excellent seamstress, she sewed costumes for many productions at Winneshiek Theater and sewed memory pillows for FHN Hospice.  She also sewed nearly 1,000 pillow case dresses for African orphans and donated dozens of hand sewn fabric masks to the hospital during the COVID pandemic.

She is survived by her sons Rodney L. (Doris) Tempel of Lanark and Randall L. Tempel (Susan) of Gulfport, Mississippi, daughter Linda L. (Richard Noto) Buss of Freeport and step-daughter Teresa (fiancée Jeff Johnson) Gibbs of Freeport.  Also survived by grandchildren Jason (Erin) Buss of Freeport, Jesse (Courtney) Buss of Belvidere, Rachel Burkholder (friend Jon Kniss) of Lanark, Amy (Chad) Schubert of Shannon, step-grandson Adam Gibbs of Freeport and step-granddaughter Stephanie of Gulfport, Mississippi.  She loved visits from her 9 greats – Ella, Levi, Madison, Kailyn, Lauren, Kaleb, Aubree, Sloan and Roman.  She is also survived by sisters-in-law Dorothy Rinderman of Shannon, Illinois and DeLores Winter of Freeport.

She was preceded in death by her parents, both husbands, son-in-law Ritchie Buss, step-son Kevin Gibbs and her four sisters – Vergel, Patricia, Judith and Sally.

She had been a member of St. Joseph's Church in Freeport and later attended St. Thomas. A memorial has been established for St. Thomas Church of Freeport.

Per her wishes there will be no funeral or visitation.  The family will have a private burial.  The family wants to give their heartfelt thanks to Dr. Terry Miller and his staff for their kind and considerate care of her over the years.  She loved touting that she was his very first patient when he first came to Freeport. Condolences may be shared at www.walkermortuary.com.