Frances Abstein Ramsey Gibbons

Frances Abstein Ramsey Gibbons was born Feb. 17, 1918, and deceased May 22, 2017. Frances was the last surviving sibling of the 9 born to Ella and George Abstein, one of the earliest pioneer families in Ft. Pierce. George settled the family here in 1899, following the development of rail transportation during the "Flagler Heyday". He served on the first train route to Key West.

Frances married Earl Curtis Ramsey in 1936 and they gave birth to one son, Robert Curtis Ramsey. Robert had 8 children; Jewel Ann, Kirk, Machelle, Mia, Yvette, Christopher, Curtis and Cody. Robert and Earl are both deceased.

In 1946 Frances married Charles (Gibby) Gibbons, also from an original pioneer family in Ft. Pierce. Gibby's family was in the pineapple business, a huge and lucrative business at the time. Growing pineapples remained a hobby for Frances and Gibby throughout their lifetime. It appears Gibby swept Frances off her feet as she accepted his proposal after their first date! There are three siblings; Julie Rochelle (husband Rick and daughter, Suzanne) of St Simons Island, Ga., Suzanne Neal (husband George)of Ft. Pierce, Charlotte Gibbons Redfield (husband Scott and daughter Kate Fraser and son Benjamin Gibbons)of Sebec, Maine. The final count was 11 grandchildren, 13 great-grand children and 3 great-great grandchildren.

Frances concentrated on many interests while raising her family. She served as President of many of her favorite organizations; Baldwin Rebecca Lodge, American Legion Auxiliary, Woodman of the World Ladies Auxiliary , and Toastmistress Club.. .all while sewing dance costumes, driving to swim meets, serving as Mariner Scout Sponsor, etc. Two of her favorite interests however were her 77 years at the Gertrude Walker voting precinct and the First Baptist Church. The Church claimed her as the oldest living member, and the member with the longest standing membership, she had joined at the age of 8.

One of Frances' special pleasures was her "Wednesday Sewing Group". Although no one can remember how many years since they quit sewing, they enjoyed their Wednesday dining out and card playing (even though they often found some of the deck under the table after the game!). Thus, in their 70's, this special friendship led to their "girl trips" to revisit places without the children; Disney World, Cypress Gardens, Silver Springs, Bahamas, Myrtle Beach, etc. A special thank you to these special friends; Luella Johnson, Ann McAvoy, Esther Gibbons, Maggie Summerlin, Mary Catherine Comer, Theda Carmichael (deceased), Martha Hall.

Frances enjoyed her birthdays when so many of her grandchildren would visit to celebrate. It was the perfect opportunity for her to share her tales of the early days in Ft. Pierce. Everyone loved hearing the experiences of her days on her High School basketball team, the Ft. Pierce Women's Softball Team, the Miss Ft. Pierce Beauty Pageant (2nd place), penny candy and 10 cent movies. In later years, Frances regretted that there were no Sunday School classes for her age group (she had to join the young 70 year-olds), and there was no one left for a class reunion!

Throughout her 99 years, Frances went with the flow and enjoyed her journey. To quote Eudora Welty on her last day of life, "thank you for inviting me to the party!” Thanks to those of you who were part of her adventure.

Memorial contributions may be made to First Baptist Church, 4500 South 25th Street, Fort Pierce, Florida.

Services: Visitation will be held on Saturday, May 27th from 10-11 am with a service to follow at 11:00 am at Haisley Funeral Home, Fort Pierce. After the service a reception will be held at the Haisley Reception Center.