Joan Cherrix Gibson, beloved mother, grandmother
Joan Cherrix (Melvin) Gibson, 88, beloved mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, and aunt, passed away at her home in Lewes Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. Born to Berman Paul “Mac” Melvin and Sara Eoline (Wingate) Melvin March 8, 1937, Joan grew up in Rehoboth Beach and graduated from Rehoboth High School in 1955.
Joan’s childhood memories of old Rehoboth brought her great joy in her later years, always recalling the storybook experience it was for her growing up in the seaside town, where everyone knew everyone, long before the outside world discovered and changed it. Her parents owned the Rehoboth Seafood Market located on the corner of First Street and Baltimore Avenue, which kept them both busily occupied during the summer months. Joan “hung the moon” on her parents, Mac and Sara, whose love for their daughters was endless. Her father often said, “Nothing is too good for my girls.”
Among Joan’s favorite childhood memories included the glorious summer days she and her sister, Gail, spent on the beach from morning until early evening, and their time at their grandparents’, the Wingate family home on the ocean block of Rehoboth Avenue. The Wingate home was a retreat for all of the large, extended family. The magical beauty of this family space was the epitome of old Rehoboth at its finest.
As a student at Rehoboth High School, Joan was energetic and quite the athlete, playing field hockey, softball, and her favorite sport, basketball. She was elected a member of Sigma Alpha Kappa Sorority and participated in theater productions.
After graduating from Rehoboth High School, Joan worked as a secretary in the accounting department of Fish Products, the old Menhaden Fish Plant, located in what is now Cape Shores in Lewes. It was there she met her former husband, George Gibson, whom she wed in 1958, and together they built a home in Lewes. Joan’s dream of becoming a mother was fulfilled in 1971 with the birth of her daughter, Mimi (Gibson) Jones. Joan left the workforce to devote herself to raising her daughter, a role she embraced with tremendous love, care, and joy.
Joan later returned to professional life as a legal secretary for the law firm of Schab and Barnett in Georgetown, where she worked for three decades until retiring in 2016. She took pride in her work and the relationships she formed there.
Joan played an active role in the lives of her extended family, helping to raise her nephews and remaining a steady presence to her grand-nephews and -niece. Joan’s greatest joy arrived in the birth of her granddaughter, Brooke, who existed for Joan as her sun, moon, and stars. She adored watching Brooke in the Bethel Church youth choir, running cross country, and attending her theatre productions at the Cape Henlopen High School Theatre. Throughout the years, always taking her granddaughter’s lead, they enjoyed sharing stories with one another both old and new, playing games, ice cream outings, and car rides around Lewes and Rehoboth. Her greatest lesson was teaching her granddaughter how to treat those who she loves the most.
In addition to her late parents, Joan is preceded in death by her sister, Gail Johnston of Milton; and her nephews, Jeff Johnston of Milton, and Barry Johnston of North Smithfield, R.I. Joan is survived by her daughter, Mimi Jones; son-in-law, Court Jones; and granddaughter Brooke Wingate Jones of Milton. She is also survived by her niece-in-law, Megan Johnston of North Smithfield, R.I.; grand-nephew, Mark (Megen) Johnston of Milton; grand-nephew, Cory (Jeff) Rose of Rehoboth Beach; and grand-niece, Amy Stewart of Milton; as well as many cousins both near and far.
Gentle, generous, selfless, brave, and independent, she will be missed greatly by all who had the wonderful fortune to have been loved by her.
A private graveside service will be held at Epworth Methodist Cemetery in Rehoboth Beach.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Joan’s favorite charity, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, stjude.org/donate.
Visit Joan's Life Memorial webpage at parselfuneralhomes.com.
