Sara Maria Gibbs , 95, of Tallahassee, passed away on July 23, 2021. The viewing will be held on Friday, August 6, 2021 from 4-6PM at Scott Chapel United Methodist Church. The funeral will be held on Saturday, August 7, 2021 at 2PM at Greater Allen Chapel AME Church. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to the U.F. Gibbs Memorial Scholarships Fund Incorporated: P.O. Box 1523, Melbourne, FL 32902-2523
Blessing this earth with 95 glorious years, Sara Maria Gibbs went to her heavenly home on July 23, 2021.
A caring and devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Sara came into this world on February 12, 1926 in Orange Springs, Florida. She was the daughter of ranchers, James Brown Sr. and Emma Brown.
Through her faith in Christ and will to achieve, Sara graduated from Shell High School in 1945, a time when education was not a guarantee for Black Americans, and in particular African-American women. It was there that she also met the love of her life, Ulysses F. Gibbs.
Ulysses and Sara married after she graduated from high school. In 1947 they gave birth to their wonderful daughter Von Cile. Sara and her family moved to New York so that her husband Ulysses could pursue his Master’s Degree from Columbia University. Soon thereafter, Sara received her Bachelor’s Degree from Florida A&M University. She went on to receive a Master’s Degree in Education from FAMU.
After graduation, Sara and her family settled in Palm Bay, Florida. She gave birth to her son Travis Cortez in 1956. During this time, she also became a faithful member of Scott Chapel United Methodist Church. Dedicated to cultivating young minds, Sara taught elementary school in Brevard County for 20 years, retiring in the mid-1970s.
In the following years, Sara and her husband opened several successful businesses, including Sepia Packaging Lounge, Hopkins Store and a laundromat. A pillar in the community, Sara also was one of the founding members of the Duchess Club. Sara was also an Eastern Star, a member of the American Legion and a proud member of the prestigious Alpha Kappa Alpha Inc. Sorority.
The most important part of Sara’s life was family. The majority of her later years was spent doting on her six grandchildren: Kenneth L. Holmes (Chrystal), Natashia Lynnette Holmes, Adrianne Holmes, Taja Summers (Terry), Toni Pittman (Danny), and Teri Gibbs. Sara was blessed to attend each grandchilds’ graduation from high school, undergraduate and graduate school. She loved bowling, traveling in her RV around the United States with her grands, observing court proceedings with her husband, reading, and watching the news and her favorite T.V. shows.
Sara was blessed not only with grandchildren, but five beautiful great-grandchildren: Adrianna Holmes, Danny Pittman, Isaiah Summers, Tyler Pittman and Isabella Summers. Sara was also fortunate in the many close relationships she shared beyond her immediate family, including her surrogate daughter Cecili Bell and the entire Holmes family, her niece Bettye Gibbs-Jennings, and close friends Johnny Diggs and Joann McMillon.
Sara was predeceased by her loving husband, Ulysses F. Gibbs in 1998, her amazing grandson Kenneth L. Holmes, in 2017 and her devoted son-in-law Kenneth E. Holmes in 2020.
Scott Chapel United Methodist Church
2510 S Grant Street
Melbourne, FL 32901
Greater Allen Chapel AME Church
2416 Lipscomb Street NE
Melbourne, FL 32901
321-724-1557
