Carolynne Elainne Gibbs

Carolynne Elainne Gibbs, 81, of Moberly, passed away after a brief illness at Aspire Senior Living in the early hours of Wednesday, December 11, 2024.  She was born May 14, 1943, to Ralph and Lorena Rohning in Mexico, Mo., but spent most of her life in Perry, Mo., through high school.

She graduated from Mark Twain Senior High School and later graduated with a teaching degree from Truman State University.  Upon graduation, she taught history at Paris High School for five years.  She was also the high school Cheerleading Sponsor during that time.  Elainne married Harold Patrick Tonsor in 1966, and they had a child, Lisa Tonsor in October 1966.  After her time at Paris High School, Elainne taught 7th and 8th grade at Middle Grove, Mo. and later married John Gibbs in 1973.  Both John and Elainne co-owned several automotive businesses as well as Gibbs Garage in Moberly, where she was a bookkeeper.  This is probably when she developed a love for her favorite General Motors vehicles-the Gran Prix and Monte Carlo.  When her daughter was in high school, Elainne worked various jobs including JCPenny’s in Columbia and MFA Oil company up until the time of her auto accident in 2000 which left her permanently disabled for the remained of her life.  She truly loved working at JCPenny’s.  When her grandchildren were born, she bought loads of clothes for the kids and always had a stash on hand for them as they outgrew various items.  She worked very hard for everything she had and didn’t take anything for granted.

All of Elainne’s life she was an avid sports fan-she especially had a penchant for the University of Missouri Football games.  In general, she really had a love for the city of Columbia:  Nascar and Elvis! As a young girl and throughout her life she was a very good seamstress for which she made most of her clothes in her younger years.  She enjoyed gardening, particularly working with her tomato plants.  Of all the things she loved, there was nothing more precious to her than her grandchildren, Ashley, Derrick, and Cody.  She loved them immensely! She would get down on the floor and play Old Maid, the Matching Game and Dominoes with them just to mention a few.  She would go to their sporting events, and they would have pizza together at Pizza Works on a regular basis.  She wasn’t a big eater normally, but it was “no holds barred” when she had pizza with her family.

Elainne was a quiet, precise, hard-working woman.  Some might say she was serious and hard to read.  She was enigmatic for certain.  She was the epitome of “still water run deep”.

Elainne is survived by her daughter, Lisa (Tonsor) Perry, Moberly, grandchildren, Ashley Hoener (Matt). Holts Summit, Derrick Agee, Moberly, Cody Agee (Savanna), Moberly, great grandchildren, Piper Agee, Porter Agee, and soon-to-be baby boy Agee all of Moberly, two sisters, Eileen Palmer (Chester), Center, Janet Dunlap (DeWayne), Perry, one nephew Ritchie Palmer, and one niece Amy Hodges.

She was preceded in death by her parents, grandparents, Joseph and Maudie Norman, and a niece, Michelle Scott.

Words of comfort and support were shared with the family at a visitation that was held at the Cater Funeral Home Chapel, followed by Funeral services honoring and celebrating Elainne’s life.  Committal prayer and burial took  place at Lick Creek Cemetery, Perry, Mo.