“It’s 10 o’clock.” With those words, Father Jonathan Archer opened the Mass of the Resurrection for Thelma Gibson, capturing in a single sentence how the community knew her.
“If anybody knew Thelma Gibson,” he added, “she was a woman of time.”
On Friday, family, friends and civic leaders gathered at Christ Episcopal Church in Coconut Grove — where Gibson’s late husband, the Rev. Theodore Gibson, once served — not only to honor her life, but to follow the precise instructions she had written 26 years earlier for her final farewell.
Thelma Vernell Anderson Gibson died on Feb. 11, 2026.
(Courtesy of TGHI)
Gibson died Feb. 11, 2026, at the age of 99.
“I want a simple Mass of the Resurrection with no sermon or eulogy,” she wrote in her autobiography, Forbearance: Life Story of a Coconut Grove Native.
A church filled wall to wall as the community gathered to honor Thelma Gibson’s life and legacy.
(Courtesy of Hip Rock Star)
Instead, she asked that scripture readings from both the Old and New Testaments be delivered by family members or friends, followed by the Gospel. She requested that the congregation sing hymns of praise before reciting the creed she sought to live by: “For I believe in God, the Trinity and the Judaeo-Christian ethos, and that the church is One Foundation.”
Several family members, including nieces and nephews, participated in the service, reading the selected lessons while the church choir led the congregation in hymns.
“It is important to me that my family and friends understand my wishes at the time of my death,” Gibson wrote. “I don’t want anyone to talk about my life’s accomplishments or failures.”
Patricia V.A. Wooten, Thelma Gibson’s oldest niece, reads a passage from the Bible during the service.
(Courtesy of Hip Rock Star)
Before the more than 200 people gathered inside the historic church — including Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and other elected officials — Archer said Gibson “believed in receiving her roses when she could see them and smell them,” adding that “the work that she did spoke for her.”
For many in attendance, that work defined decades of quiet persistence.
“She was the heartbeat, the backbone, of Coconut Grove,” Warren Ferguson, a friend of Gibson and a member of the church, told The Miami Times.
Warren Ferguson, a close friend of Thelma Gibson, gathers with church members after the service.
(Ivette Franco for The Miami Times)
A farewell draped in the Bahamian flag
Born in Florida to Sweetlon and Thomas Anderson, Gibson was one of 14 siblings and a descendant of Bahamian pioneers who helped shape Coconut Grove’s early Black community. A nurse and activist, her life bridged service and advocacy, faith and culture.
That heritage was present in her final goodbye. Her casket, draped in the Bahamian flag, was carried down the church steps — a tribute to her ancestral roots and the Bahamian legacy rooted in Coconut Grove’s history.
In the church hall, tables dressed in green and yellow reflected the colors seen throughout the farewell.
(Ivette Franco for The Miami Times)
Outside, a group of dancers dressed in bright green, yellow and orange costumes waited. As the hearse began to move, the dancers performed Junkanoo, the rhythmic Bahamian tradition known for its music, movement and color.
For Vernon Brookes, who helped organize the performance, the moment was special. “To be here and bring the Junkanoo for her farewell — because I know how much Junkanoo meant to Miss Gibson — means the world to me,” Brookes told The Miami Times. “It was special to send her off with what she loved — her family, her friends and the Junkanoo.”
Beyond the tradition, Brookes said Gibson “had a great heart” and “a love for people,” adding that she would do anything to see her community succeed.
Before the procession began, Junkanoo performers waited to lead a farewell rooted in Caribbean tradition.
(Ivette Franco for The Miami Times)
The Junkanoo procession concluded behind the church, where food and beverages were served in what some described as the celebration she had wanted. Tables were covered in green and yellow, echoing the vibrant colors worn by the performers and some guests.
The farewell continued outside the church as Thelma Gibson’s casket, covered in the Bahamian flag, is escorted out.
(Ivette Franco for The Miami Times)
Remembered in the smallest details
Beyond her public work, friends remembered the smaller details of Gibson’s life.
Shirley Gwendolyn Gibson, who had known her since childhood, described her as kind and welcoming, recalling visits to her home and remembering her as a quiet role model who “lived a clean life” and “set an example” for young girls in the neighborhood.
The church that once witnessed Gibson’s husband’s ministry held her final goodbye.
(Ivette Franco for The Miami Times)
Her birthday, Dec. 17, was often celebrated within the community. At annual senior gatherings hosted by the Women’s Club of Coconut Grove, members made it a tradition to recognize her the week before.
“We would have everyone in the room sing happy birthday to her,” said Sherrill Martin, a member of the club. “She was always there.”
A trumpet solo was performed near the end of the service honoring Thelma Gibson.
(Ivette Franco for The Miami Times)
Martin, wearing a yellow and green dress that echoed the colors seen throughout the service, described Gibson as a “mentor,” and said the last time she saw her was on the second Wednesday of December during one of the club’s gatherings.
“It doesn’t matter what color you are or what language you speak,” Martin told The Miami Times, recalling a value she said Gibson embodied. “We’re all one people. We have to love each other.”
Even in everyday moments, friends remembered her simple preferences — birthday cake at gatherings and popcorn shrimp.
As the service concluded, faith leaders and loved ones stepped into the afternoon light.
(Ivette Franco for The Miami Times)
Gibson’s leadership
Born on Dec. 17, 1926, in segregated Coconut Grove, Gibson rose from modest beginnings to become a registered nurse, civic leader and advocate whose work spanned healthcare, civil rights and community preservation.
She trained in nursing at several institutions, worked in segregated hospital wards and later held leadership roles in Miami’s health system. In 1997, she served as Miami’s interim city commissioner and founded the Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Dade County.
Junkanoo performers gathered to dance, fulfilling Thelma Gibson’s wish.
(Ivette Franco for The Miami Times)
Alongside her late husband, she pushed for integration and equity during segregation and supported efforts to preserve Coconut Grove’s historic Black community and expand affordable housing.
Though she faced barriers early in her nursing career — including being barred from operating rooms despite certification — she did not retreat. “She persevered,” Ferguson said. “She wasn’t pushy, but when she spoke, people listened.”
And on Friday, just as she had planned decades earlier, the service unfolded on time.
“And to you, my foes, I’ve had a good ride. I love you one and all,” she wrote.