O'Brien and William Edward Gibbs

O’Brien Smythe Price Gibbs, 13, died on Tuesday, September 26, 2017 alongside his brother, William. O’Brien was an eighth grade student at Asheville Middle School. He previously attended Asheville Catholic from kindergarten to fifth grade. O’Brien loved music of all sorts. His love was inspired by his recorder lessons and drama opportunities with Rita Pisano at Asheville Catholic. He went to Asheville Middle to pursue the opportunity to be a trumpet player under the tutelage of Kevin Young. Under Kevin's guidance, he made All-District Band and played in the Jazz Band, in addition to the Concert Band. While O’Brien had enjoyed ABYSA soccer, North Asheville Little League Baseball, and Rec League basketball in the past, he decided before the seventh grade that he wanted to dedicate his energies to his academics, particularly his love of math. O’Brien was an honor roll student and a member of the Asheville Middle School Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society, where he served last year as the treasurer and historian, and this year as the vice president. The majority of O’Brien’s time, however, was spent in Scouting. He was the Senior Patrol Leader of St. Barnabas’ Troop 61, for which he had previously been a Patrol Leader and the Quartermaster. O’Brien was also a Brotherhood member of the Order of the Arrow Tsali Lodge. O’Brien was an altar server at St. Barnabas Catholic Church in Arden. He was beginning his Confirmation classes and had chosen Maximilian Kolbe as his Confirmation saint. Despite all of these formal activities, O’Brien was best known by his classmates for collecting pencils where they were abandoned on the floor and for racing up ahead of others to hold the door for them. He lived in service to others and followed the Scout Law: A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent. O’Brien wavered between wanting to be a veterinarian, a cardiologist, and a band teacher. Surviving are his parents, Chris and Christy Gibbs, of Marietta, GA, Jo Peterson Gibbs Landreth, of Arden, and Matthew Landreth; brother, Henry Gibbs, of Arden; sister, Tia Laws of Marietta; grandparents, Mike and Ann Gibbs, of Mill Spring, Jeanette Miller and Larry and Joette Street, of Jonesborough, TN, Terry Bradley and Alan Goozner, of Charlotte, and David and Diane Landreth, of Pisgah Forest; great-grandmothers, Doris Edwards, of Mill Spring, and Alice Queen, of Pisgah Forest; aunts, Kim Sumpter, of Huntsville, AL, and Lori Lookadoo, of Mill Spring; uncles, Bill Peterson, of Montgomery, AL, and Jason and Charlie Kilgore, of Mill Spring, and many other aunts and uncles who he loved dearly; more cousins than he could count; his lifelong friend, Josie Sheeler; his group of friends who call themselves the Nerd Herd; and his many brothers in Scouting. In lieu of flowers for O'Brien, please consider a donation to the Friends of Scouting for the Daniel Boone Council, Boy Scouts of America, 333 West Haywood St., Asheville, NC 28801. William Edward Bradley Gibbs, 10, died on Tuesday, September 26, 2017, alongside his brother, O’Brien. William Edward was a fifth grade student at Asheville Catholic School where he had attended since pre-K. Previously, he attended three-year-old pre-K at the Asheville City Schools Preschool. William Edward lived each day singing hymns, show tunes, and songs from the radio. He often even sang his conversations. Through the years he put this to use in church and school plays and last year as a cantor in the Asheville Catholic School Choir. Recently he had been spending hours practicing his recorder. William Edward also was always moving. Most of the time that meant running and jumping on the couch, knocking his feet against the wall, or skipping, but he sometimes corralled his energy into organized activities. He was a member of the Asheville Catholic School Cross Country team and was looking forward to another year representing the school on the basketball court. He had played North Asheville Little League baseball since before he was four. William Edward was an Arrow of Light Scout in St. Barnabas’ Cub Scout Pack 61, where he was a founding member as a Tiger Cub. Just last week he completed his Duty to God in Action activity pin, and he was looking forward to becoming a Boy Scout in the spring. William Edward was a member of the Asheville Catholic Lego Robotics Team and an altar server at St. Barnabas. William Edward dreamed of one day being a U.S. Marine and each night for bed time he read stories about Medal of Honor winners. William Edward was best known for his smile. He loved entertaining others. Surviving are his parents, Chris and Christy Gibbs, of Marietta, GA, Jo Peterson Gibbs Landreth, of Arden, and Matthew Landreth; brother Henry Gibbs, of Arden; sister, Tia Laws of Marietta; grandparents, Mike and Ann Gibbs, of Mill Spring, Jeanette Miller and Larry and Joette Street, of Jonesborough, TN, Terry Bradley and Alan Goozner, of Charlotte, and David and Diane Landreth, of Pisgah Forest; great-grandmothers, Doris Edwards, of Mill Spring and Alice Queen, of Pisgah Forest; aunts, Kim Sumpter of Huntsville, AL, and Lori Lookadoo, of Mill Spring; uncles Bill Peterson, of Montgomery, AL, and Jason and Charlie Kilgore, of Mill Spring, and many other aunts and uncles who he loved dearly; cousins galore; his lifelong friend, Josie Sheeler, his Asheville Catholic classmates, who he loved like family, and video gamemates around the world who knew him as gibblet3. In lieu of flowers for William Edward, please consider a donation to the ABCCM Veterans Restoration Quarters, c/o ABCCM, 20 Twentieth Street, Asheville, NC 28806. A Funeral Mass for both O'Brien and William Edward will be celebrated at 1:00 p.m. Thursday, October 5, 2017, at St. Barnabas Catholic Church, 109 Crescent Hill Road, Arden, NC. The Rev. Fr. Adrian Porras will officiate. The Rosary will be recited at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 4, at Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian, 72 Long Shoals Road, Arden., after which the family will receive friends until 9:00 p.m.