Gary Gibson bio

Gary Michael Gibson, 28, is the youngest of Carol and William Gibson's three sons.

When his own father retired, William Gibson took over the family business, Gibson Motors Used Car Emporium in nearby Pontotoc, Mississippi. Over time, he expanded, replacing the Chrysler dealership in Oxford with a second Gibson Motors.

With William firmly ensconced in the family business, Carol quit her job as a teller at the local bank with the arrival of their first son. Two years later, their second son was born, and then Gary came along four years after that.

When Gary was two, the Gibsons moved into the same area as Caroline Jordan's family. Growing up, Gary and Carly were sometimes playmates even though she was two years younger.

Gary and his brothers grew up loving sports and outdoor recreation, and William faithfully took the boys on a hunting and fishing trip every year. The family was also active in the local First Baptist Church.

William intended for all three of his sons to take over the family business one day, but by high school, it was clear that only his two older sons were close enough to work side by side.

The oldest Gibson boy was a standout athlete and won a scholarship to the University of Mississippi. The middle son was more of a troublemaker, twice racking up juvenile offenses for taking cars from his father's lot on joyrides, but he, too, managed to get into Ole Miss and majored in business administration like his brother.

Gary, by contrast, preferred solitary activities to team sports and remained an avid hunter. He also stayed more connected to the church than his brothers, serving as a youth group leader through high school.

Although his grades were decent, Gary didn't apply to Ole Miss like his brothers. Instead, he worked part-time jobs at the local mall and attended classes at Northwest Community College (NWCC), where he reconnected with Carly. After she dropped out, they stayed in touch.

In his second semester at NWCC, Gary enlisted in the National Guard. During his time in the service, he was deployed both domestically to support hurricane recovery efforts in multiple states and overseas. After eight years, he left the National Guard to return to college full-time.

Gary lives with his parents and has helped his mother adjust to her worsening visual impairment due to macular degeneration. While working on his degree, he takes part-time jobs at local stores, including Santa's Toy Shoppe, where his friend Carly works, and remains active in church volunteer work.