Tim was born in Barnstable, Massachusetts on 09/19/1959 to Evelyn Sanderson Boyd and Charles Boyd.  Before he was three years old, his parents along with his younger brother, Russell, moved to the Virgin Islands where his parents divorced and Evelyn remarried Bruce Gibbel.  Soon after, the family relocated to Bruce’s home in California’s Bay Area. Bruce legally adopted the boys, and hence Tim became a Gibbel.  

From his early elementary school years until his high school graduation, Tim lived in Gustine, a small town in the San Joaquin Valley.  Tim played the trombone in his high school band and enjoyed the close camaraderie of his band friends. He also ran track and brought home several medals. Throughout his life, he felt a close connection with his high school classmates, so he attended band and class reunions whenever he could.

With both parents being teachers, the family was able to travel during the summer, mostly on camping/ road trips back to Cape Cod, where Evelyn and a group of her extended family owned a camp on Little Hog Pond.  Some of Tim’s favorite memories were made at this location, where he and his brother and cousins would spend endless hours fishing, swimming, playing in the woods, and sitting around the campfire.  

After graduating from Gustine High School in 1978, Tim relocated several times, first to Forrestville, CA, where his parents had moved the year before, then to Cape Cod for a season, and then to Key West, Florida, where he met Jane who was vacationing there.  They met at a rooftop bar/BBQ/dance spot called Rick’s when Tim asked Jane to dance.  Tim and Jane married in 1990 and resided for several years in Bakersfield, CA where Tim worked as a tile setter. In 1999 they welcomed a son, Benjamin, whom Tim adored.  

Tim and Jane enjoyed taking road trips in the summer to different areas including Portland, New Orleans, Banff and Lake Louise, Canada, San Francisco, Key West, Cape Cod, and Michigan, where Jane was from.  These trips involved fishing, camping, and boating, some of their favorite activities.  Tim also loved water skiing on Lake St. Clair while Jane drove the boat.

After divorcing in 2004, Tim moved back to Forrestville and the Russian River area where he lived out his remaining years.  He earned the moniker “Buttkicker” as he could frequently be found doing volunteer cleanup including picking up cigarette butts in downtown Guerneville.  

Tim never met a stranger and tried to be kind and helpful to everyone he met.  He liked to dance, listen to live music, and even play the “spoons” on stage with the musicians whenever the opportunity arose.  British and classic cars and motorcycles were also among his passions.  He enjoyed working on his Austin Healy and Norton.  

Tim was preceded in death by his older brother, Benjamin, who died as an infant; mother, Evelyn; father, Bruce.  He is survived by his son, Benjamin; former wife, Jane; younger brother, Russell.  

Special thanks to Amy McGraw who was a friend to Tim and assisted him greatly in navigating life during his latter years.