We miss you, Dave

Rest in Peace

David William Gibbs, 44, passed away on July 4, 2008 at City of Hope Cancer Center in Duarte, Calif. Dave was surrounded by his loving wife Jeanne Oakley, mother Eileen Gibbs and brother Paul after a hard-fought battle with leukemia.

A fund has been set up to benefit the education of Dave and Jeanne's son, Kyler. Donations to "Benefit Memorial Fund for David William Gibbs" can be made at any Wells Fargo bank.

An accomplished musician whose fingers danced with ease on electric and acoustic guitars, mandolins and ukuleles, David will be missed more than any words can say.

He was also a man with a kid's love for anything with an engine or wheels, from Skateboards to Go-Karts to motorcycles to Formula One racing cars.

Dave was born on Travis Air Force Base in Vallejo, Calif. on Aug. 4 1963 to James P. Gibbs and Eileen Gibbs. He spent much of his youth in Los Angeles and Mission Viejo where he learned how to surf, a pastime that he felt brought him closest to God.

Dave graduated from Capistrano Valley High School, Saddleback Community College and New York Technical Institute. In later years he became a certified auto mechanic, a profession in which he worked until he became ill in the spring of 2007.

Dave looked to music as his primary artistic outlet and played in bands in Southern California, San Francisco, Honolulu and Reno. He was a quiet man who didn't talk a lot, but when he spoke, he did not waste words. He also had a very dry and quirky sense of humor and was fond of the phrase, "Well, all righty then,"with an emphasis on the all righty.

In 1997 Dave met the love of his life, Jeanne Oakley in San Francisco and the two were married in Reno in 2001. The couple have one son, Kyler James Gene Oakley-Gibbs who Dave often referred to as "my little monkey."

After getting married, Dave and Jeanne moved to Honolulu for a few years where Dave enjoyed surfing and worked as a mechanic. The family then moved to Reno where Dave raced Go-Karts, enjoyed snowboarding and was a great dad and husband. In the summer of 2007 Dave moved back to Southern California to be close to his family and receive treatment for leukemia.

Dave "always found a great deal of joy in the ocean and in his music and motorcycles and car racing," his mother said. "He always was an individual, he always had his own vision of things."

In 2004 while living in Hawaii, Dave produced a solo music CD called Kookulele. One of the most popular tunes on the disk was "Nice Little Life."

"All I want is a nice little house, a nice little car and a sweet little wife,
It sounds so simple, but nothing ever is,
So take a moment to reflect on your life, how you treat others,
Did you get some comfort instead of strife?"

Dave is survived by his wife Jeanne, their son Kyler, parents Jim and Eileen Gibbs, brothers Paul and Denis, sisters Susan Lund and Cara Thompson and loving in-laws and their families.

The Oakley-Gibbs family would like to thank the dedicated MD's, nurses and staff at the City of Hope for their compassionate care.

On Friday 18 July there will be a Memorial Mass at 10:30 am at St Kilian Catholic Church, 26872 Estanciero Drive Mission Viejo, CA. A private surfer's memorial will be held at Doheny Beach, Dana Point, CA on David's birthday.