Barbara Jean Gibbs

Barbara Jean Miller was born to Charles and Ruth Miller in Los Angeles, CA. Her father, after graduating from High School enlisted in the Navy, met and courted her mom, and they were married December 27-1930 (though her mom was barely 17). On July 2, 1932, Barbara was born as a baby, and fourteen months later her brother Richard (Dick) joined the family.

Barbara was raised in Los Angeles at the height of the depression, during the era of

Shirley Temple’s antics and her curly locks. Though things were undoubtedly tough for the family, Barbara always reported she had a normal and happy childhood, including having to ride the historic Red Trolley line to school.

Once his Navy service was completed, Barbara’s father became the Produce-Man at Ralph’s Pretty Good Grocers. Several of her dad’s close Navy friends lived nearby, of whom Barbara wrote “they all had children, all of us were about the same age. I remember getting together with these families almost every weekend”. Barbara’s family was with those friends on December 7, 1941, when they heard the news that Pearl Harbor had been attacked.

“No one wanted to believe it, but it finally sunk in that it was real.

The following day my father enlisted in the Coast Guard”.

While her father fought the war in the Pacific, Barbara’s mother worked as a riveter at Douglas Aircraft in Santa Monica. After the war, when Barbara was 16 years old, her father was in an automobile accident and killed instantly. In her notes Barbara wrote “He went through the war unscathed but died swerving to avoid a wandering cow!”

While yet a young child a neighbor invited Barbara to go with her to church, and after getting approval from her mother, she began attending services at Cochran Avenue Baptist church – it was there that she first learned about Jesus from her Sunday School teacher, and (according to her journal) during her sophomore year in High School she was baptized.

After graduating from high school Barbara enrolled at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (Biola), which was then located downtown Los Angeles at the famously known Church of the Open Door site with its large neon “Jesus Saves” sign. To cover her college expenses Barbara took a job as telephone switchboard operator, and then was promoted to an accounting role.

As a youth group leader at her church, Barbara would regularly go to camps at Forest Home Christian Conference Center. It was there, during the summer of 1953, that she met Richard, also there at the camp as a youth group leader for his church. Instantly smitten and drawn to each other they increasingly found reasons to get together, and during Easter of the following year the happy couple announced their engagement. On August 20, 1954, Barbara and Richard celebrated their grand marriage at Calvary Baptist Church in Whittier, CA.

While in college, both Barbara and Richard had been drawn to foreign missions, and on several occasions, each had expressed a commitment to be available should God call them. As a theme of their young marriage Barbara and Richard began actively exploring opportunities for service as foreign missionaries. After many discussions, prayers, consultations, and applications in 1955 Richard and Barbara were appointed as missionaries to Brazil by the Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society (now New Venture). With a life-course established, Barbara and Richard set about raising support and making preparations to leave for Brasil, and in November of 1955 Susan Joy was born into their nascent missionary team. However, tragedy soon struck – in January, 1956, their beautiful two-month old daughter Susan was killed in a car accident.

Sailing from New Orleans in 1956, Barbara and Richard at last arrived in North Brazil. Their first year in-country was spent at language school learning to speak Portuguese. Once marginally proficient communicating, they departed to help a newly established church in Bacabal, a small interior town situated 4° south of the equator, in the hot and dusty Northeast region of Brasil. Their first 4 year “term” was occupied with preaching, teaching, church planting, tending a bookstore, assisting at a leper’s colony, providing basic nursing services, hosting travelers, and tending to the needs of their first-born son, Stephen, who was delivered in February of 1959, during a wild night of Carnival.

At the end of 1960 Barbara and Richard concluded their first missionary term, departed hot Brasil with a layover in wintery New York City, and then made their way across the US to furlough in SoCal. During the subsequent year-long period of re-connection (with friends, families, and supporters), planning and re-preparation for 2nd term, in April 1961 Barbara gave birth to their second daughter, Kathy.

Refreshed and ready, in March 1962 the Gibbs family again set sail to South Brazil and the small city of Mogi Mirim in the populous state of São Paulo. Once settled, Barbara took care of her family, helped Richard start two new churches, befriended other expats living/working in the area, hosted travelers, taught Sunday School, and led women’s bible studies.

Four years later the Gibbs family returned to SoCal. As happened on first furlough, another member of the family arrived. In November 1966 Barbara gave birth to her second son, Jeffrey.

Refreshed and ready again, in March 1967 the Gibbs family set sail again for South Brasil, this time headed to Campinas, a medium sized city in the even more populous state of São Paulo. There in Campinas they settled long-term so children’s upbringing could be better tended to. Between arrival in 1967 and their departure in 1986, Barbara got to experience new roles at the American School the children attended: substitute teacher, PTA President, and cheerleading coach. Barbara also resuscitated her earlier accounting role and took on the treasurer assignment for the larger South Brasil mission’s team, as well as accountant for the local church they attended.

In 1986, after the three children had graduated on to college, Barbara and Richard returned to SoCal and settled into their current community in Huntington Beach. Barbara was offered a position at a title company firm where she enjoyed working as an accountant until finally retiring after 20 years.

At their home church, Calvary Baptist in Huntington Beach, Barbara led Women’s Ministries, organized luncheons and camps, and enjoyed hosting Bible Studies in her home. In addition, Barbara served as a leader for the SoCal Conservative Baptist Women’s Ministries and for several years was a member of CBA of America Women’s Ministries Board of Directors.

On March 12, 2022, Barbara completed the earthly “race set before her” and peacefully departed for the promised new place prepared for her in heaven.

Barbara was preceded in death by her daughter Susan Joy, her father Charles Miller, brother Richard Miller, step-father Joe Mounts, and her mother Ruth Mounts..

NUNC DIMITTIS

(Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord)

Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping; that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word.

For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all people;

To be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and to be the glory of your people Israel.

LUKE 2:29-32

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.

Amen.

Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping; that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

The Song of Simeon

from the Book of Common Prayer