Thomas Richard Tibbetts, retired consultant

Thomas Richard Tibbetts, 82,  of Rehoboth Beach passed away Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020, of natural causes at Beebe Healthcare in Lewes.  He was born Feb. 21, 1937, in Marietta, Ohio, son of  the late Karl A. and Freda V. (Pease) Tibbetts.

Mr. Tibbetts graduated from Oberlin College in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in economics and performed graduate study in statistics, econometrics, and computer science, and took management courses at various institutions.  He began his government service as a congressional staffer, served two years in the U.S. Army as a Military Government-Civil Affairs specialist, then joined the Bureau of Labor Statistics. At BLS, Mr. Tibbetts managed and was a primary designer of the Producer Price Index Revision, and as assistant commissioner, he was the overall manager of the Producer Price Index from 1981 until his retirement  at the end of 1995.  He was a member of the first class of the SES.  Following his retirement, he worked as a consultant to the International Monetary Fund for several years.

Mr. Tibbetts was an accomplished pianist and organist, and in his retirement years played and sang at several area churches, most notably All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Rehoboth Beach, and St. George's Chapel.

In addition to his parents, Mr. Tibbetts was preceded in death by his brother, James Tibbetts.  He is survived by his longtime friend and caregiver, Robert C. Thompson Jr. of Rehoboth Beach and Miami Beach, Fla.

No services were held due to COVID-19 restrictions.  Arrangements were handled by Parsell Funeral Homes and Crematorium, Atkins-Lodge Chapel, Lewes.

Please visit Mr. Tibbetts' Life Memorial Webpage and sign his online guestbook at www.parsellfuneralhomes.com.