Laura Jean Gibson, 71, died at her home with her husband and daughter by her side on Aug. 1, 2013, after her battle with pancreatic cancer.
Laura was born July 5, 1942, in Carson City, Nev., to Gene and Dora Fagg. In 1964 Laura was dealing 21 for Joe Mackie and Ray Legarza at the Star Broiler when she said, "A tall, good-looking cowboy walked in, I was gone, and never got back." Laura married that cowboy, Karl Gibson, in 1968. They were married 44 years at her passing.
Laura grew up splitting her time between her parents in Winnemucca, and her grandparents, E.B. and Katie Salinas, who owned and operated what is now the River Ranch in Oreana, Nev. Throughout her life she returned to Winnemucca to live many times. She also lived in Buffalo, Wyo., Bozeman, Mont., Meridian, Idaho, Carson City, Nev., and The Alvord Ranch.
Laura attended UNR, TMCC and BSU, before finally completing her Bachelor's of Science in Nursing from Montana State University. She was never done learning and improving her nursing, saying "Always try to learn one new thing every day."
Laura worked as a phone operator for Nevada Bell and at the Star Broiler before getting her nursing degree. She started working at Humboldt General in the 1970s when the nurse on shift took care of "whatever came through the door." She then returned to HGH in the 1980s as the Director of Nursing; in the 1990s she was house supervisor and closed out her career at HGH in the emergency room. She also used her degree to work at a trauma center, as a school nurse for Sonoma Heights, Winnemucca Grammar School and Grass Valley Elementary School. She mixed two loves (nursing and traveling) while she was the nurse on the Princess Cruise: Alaska, Inside Passage.
Laura was a member of the Winnemucca Ladies Golf Association for many years and traveled all over North America to golf. While in Phoenix she enjoyed many hours with her girlfriends playing cards, shopping and making quilts for the ACTRA Cowboy Crisis Fund.
Laura was a self confessed "gypsy," always packed and ready for an adventure, ready to have some laughs and see new things. She went too many places to list, but they include: Portugal (to meet her Portuguese family), Mexico, Alaska, Mardi Gras, The Kentucky Derby, and her yearly return to the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.
Laura is survived by her husband Karl Gibson, daughters Jeanie and husband Gary Stoker, Kathryn (Esquivel) Ourada, all of Winnemucca; grandchildren AJ Ourada, Matt Ourada and Willow Stoker; sister Kathleen and husband Todd Solomon of Reno; cousins Joann and Paul Miller of Winnemucca, Karen Holcher of Fallon and many more relatives in Nevada and Idaho.
Laura was preceded in death by her parents, father-in-law, O.H. Gibson, and son-in-law Steve Ourada.
Special thanks for every kindness offered from everyone at Humboldt General Hospital and Dr. Granath for his special care in the last month of her life.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to ACTRA Cowboy Crisis Fund c/o Heidi Fettic, 2852 Frontier St, Winnemucca.
One of her oldest and dearest friends, Carl Norris, will fashion a urn and she will continue to travel with Karl.
There will be a short gathering at Albertson Funeral Home on Aug. 12 at 1 p.m. She then wants to buy her friends one last drink at The Martin Hotel at 1:30 p.m.[[In-content Ad]]
