The heavenly host should prepare now for frequent themed costume parties because Helen Gibbs Daniel Couch strode into the gracious presence of her savior on Tuesday, November 8, 2022.

For 24 years, her family enthusiastically (for the most part) embraced the opportunity to dress in costume during American Idol Nights and theme parties such as “Cheeseburger in Paradise” and “Putting on the Ritz” at the now legendary Annual Couch Family Beach Trip.

Born on May 9, 1939, the first daughter of James Edgar Daniel and Helen Tate Hitchcock Daniel, Gibbs naturally came by this love of parties, drama, and fun. Precocious and full of life, Gibbs was beloved by the people of her hometown Clayton, Alabama, where she spent many hours working at Daniel’s Store, owned by her family. Because of her exceptional intellect and maturity,

Gibbs graduated High School at age 16 and left for Alabama College in Montevallo, AL, where her mother and aunt had attended. Performing in the Gold show each year, Montevallo is where Gibbs first found her love of theater. By providence, Robert Hill Couch of Winfield, AL, transferred to Montevallo soon after in the first class of men eligible to attend the formerly all-girls school. Despite the 4:1 girl-toguy ratio, Helen Gibbs had no trouble snagging Bob, who would become the love of her life.

Soon after college, they married and remained so for 54 years until Bob’s death in 2013. Gibbs and Bob traversed Alabama pursuing careers in education. These travels took them from Montevallo to Birmingham, Gadsden, Montgomery, and eventually Auburn. Gibbs was a pioneer in her field as one of the first school-based speech pathologists in Alabama. She did speech therapy in nearly every school in the Auburn City School System, often carting her office from school to school in her trunk. She also taught the STRETCH gifted program at Drake Middle School for several glorious years.

In 1995 she was awarded the Alabama Special Education Teacher of the Year. In addition to teaching and therapy, Gibbs became a professional storyteller traveling throughout the Southeast. Her penchant for drama and storytelling landed her a weekly television show on the school access cable channel. “The Reading Corner” featured Gibbs reading books to area school children. It was likely the highest-rated program of all time on the Auburn City Schools cable channel, and her family fully expects it to be picked up by Netflix soon.

Bob and Gibbs were a dynamic team. They loved hosting people in their home and threw epic pool parties for Bob’s university students, colleagues, friends, and even classes of special education students.

More than a few college students, including their sons, Jim and Rob, encountered their eventual spouses while dangling their feet in the Couch pool. In retirement, Gibbs and Bob relished the opportunity to travel around the country and savored their month-long Fall trips to Panama City Beach, where they watched the sunset together every evening.

Gibbs’ children were recently startled to learn that she’s been telling each of them, “you’re the sweetest one” throughout much of their lives. Her indiscriminate use of this superlative is unsurprising to anyone who loved Gibbs. She had a way of making each person feel like they were uniquely valued and loved.

Each of her children, their spouses, grandchildren, and friends had a unique relationship with Gibbs. Her grandchildren, especially, will never forget that their Gan-Gan was unlike any other. Summers at Cousins Camp, ice cream for breakfast, and starring in the annual Couch Family Christmas pageant will never fade from their memories.

Gibbs was a faithful member of Auburn United Methodist Church for over 50 years. It would be easier to list the ministries that Gibbs did not participate in than to list all she did. She was most recently active in The Jubilee Seniors ministry, Harvesters, reader’s theater, The Food Pantry, REACH ministry, member of the Nick Holler Sunday School Class, GALS group, and Red Hat Society. In years past, she’s been Lay Leader, Sunday School Teacher, Singles Ministry leader, Bible study leader, mission team member, early service choir member, and VBS storyteller.

She was also one of the original planners of the annual adult spiritual life retreat. She held down the 2 nd pew from the front on the left at the early service, inviting many friends to join her. The Breath Savers Peppermint mints she liberally distributed from her purse helped make even long sermons enjoyable.

Thanks to the Holy Spirit, the Holy Bible, her deep love for Jesus, her church, and the influence of many authors living and gone, Gibbs became a spiritual giant. Her dining room turned sanctuary where she studied, journaled, and prayed for hours each morning, still reverberates with the holiness of God.

Despite the changing skyline of the loveliest village on the plains, Gibbs adored the City of Auburn. Beyond her work within the school system, she dabbled in community theater, taught many courses at OLLI, and was a faithful volunteer at the Boykin Senior Center. She was always politically engaged and proud to call herself a “yellow dog Democrat.”

One of Gibbs’ most memorable acts of service involved a mishap while dancing with Santa Claus and dressed as an Elf at the EASE House Christmas party. Christmas came early to East Alabama Medical Center that day as an 80-year-old elf with a dislocated hip was wheeled into the ER.

Gibbs’ life brought a richness, joy, and love to the world to which God calls all of us.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Hill Couch; father, James Edgar Daniel; mother, Helen Tate Hitchcock Daniel; brother, James (Tubby) Edgar Daniel Jr; and sister Edith Vesta Daniel Kennedy.

She is survived by her baby brother, John Edgar Daniel (Linda), son, James (Jim) W. Couch (Ginger), daughter, Edith (Edie) Elizabeth Couch Beckum (Cam), son, Robert (Rob) Gibbs Couch (Crystal), grandchildren, Davis Tate Couch (Lynne McClure), Maecy Lane Couch, Cameron Elizabeth Beckum, Blake Robert Beckum, David Gibbs Couch, Ethan Fox Couch, Ella Louise Couch, many beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins, honorary daughter Lisa Norrell, and honorary son James Porter.

A memorial service to celebrate Gibbs’ life and faith was held at Auburn United Methodist Church on Friday, November 11, 2022, at 2:00 PM in the Sanctuary. The family received friends following the service.

The family thanks the faithful caregivers and friends who cared for Gibbs, especially the staff of Compassus Hospice and the Bethany House.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Auburn United Methodist Food Pantry, P.O. Box 3135, Auburn, AL 36831 (www.aumc. net/give).