'The rumble of the pipes told her he'd arrived. Her leather-clad knight on his steed of chrome. She'd waited for him for what felt like forever.'
Gibbo Pierson, 96, rode off into the sunset on July 8, 2024. He was born on July 15, 1927, in the Hutchinson home his grandfather built at 734 Cole Ave. It is the property he returned to and lived out his life on. Gibbo was the son of Charlie Con and Isabel (Cole) Pierson.
On April 22, 1947, Gibbo married Georgia Robinson. They shared 75 years of marriage before her death on March 11, 2022.
Gibbo retired from Cessna in 1967 and, together with his wife Georgia, began running their leather shop, Gibbo's Saddle and Leather, full-time for the next 50 years. He made a name for himself as being highly skilled in custom leather craft.
After raising their two daughters, Gibbo and Georgia traveled extensively. They especially enjoyed the many years they traveled along the Pacific coast of Mexico in their motor home for three to six months at a time.
In his 74 years of motorcycling, Gibbo rode countless miles throughout the United States and abroad. He'd ridden in 13 of the 25 different countries he'd traveled to. His favorite place to ride was through the Swiss Alps. He was thrilled to attend the annual motorcycle race on the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea. He had countless adventures riding through Mexico to the Pacific coast and traveling up and down that coast many times.
Gibbo was a member of a black powder club, the Prairie Pups Motorcycle Club, and rode with both chapters of the ROMEOS. He was a lifetime member of the American Motorcycle Association and rode until he was 91.
A builder of motorcycles, he built several choppers, one of which was featured in Chopper Magazine in 1970. Gibbo built houses with Habitat for Humanity locally, as well as in Alabama and Paraguay. He volunteered with the Reno County Toy Run and with Reins of Hope, both from their inception. Gibbo is one of Hatteburg's people and was also featured in Hutchinson magazine. Gibbo built the homes he lived in with his own hands.
Gibbo left this world, having done everything he'd dreamed of doing and having traveled everywhere he'd ever wanted to go. Whether bicycling the Yucatan, cruising through the Panama Canal, or attending Arctic Man in Alaska, his life was one of adventure!
Gibbo worked hard to provide for his family. He was always there for his parents and siblings in the very last moments of their lives. His family was very important to him.
He had many lifetime friends who could always count on him. There was never a time in Gibbo's life that he was not helping others, many times behind the scenes, and that is his legacy.
Gibbo is survived by his two daughters, Bonny Pierson and Bunny Dellinger, one grandchild, and one great-grandchild.
In Heaven, he joins his wife, Georgia; parents; son-in-law, Ed Dellinger; sisters, Vera, Veora, and Roseamond; brothers, Elmo, Clyde, and John Paul.
Cremation has taken place.
Memorials may be sent to the Parkinson's Foundation in care of Elliott Mortuary, 1219 N Main St., Hutchinson, KS 67501.