Dan Howard Gibson was born May 2, 1946, in Columbia South Carolina. He was the son of Howard Benjamin Gibson and Mary Frances (Frankie) Askins Gibson. He passed away on June 8, 2017, in DeSoto, Texas, after a short illness. Dan grew up in Burlington, N. C. and graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1968 with a bachelor of science degree in journalism. The same year he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force. From 1968 to 1975, he served on active duty at Los Angeles Air Force Station, California; Clark Air Base, Republic of the Philippines, and Hill Air Force Base, Utah. He continued as a reservist, retiring in 2006 with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Dan married Julia Brown on January 15, 1972, in Redondo Beach, California. They became the parents of 3 daughters.

Dan was a writer, specializing in public relations. In his spare time he taught himself to play the claw hammer banjo and later on the fiddle. He loved to jam with other old time musicians and was a member of the Dallas Folk Music Society and the North Texas Traditional Dance Society. His other passion was oral storytelling and he often crafted his own clever tall tales, ghost stories and cowboy poetry. He was a member of the Texas Storytelling Association, serving a term on the board, and several local guilds, including the Dallas Storytelling Guild. He combined his love of music and stories to present programs in schools and libraries, leaving behind a legacy of music and story for thousands of children and adults.

Dan is survived by his wife of 45 years, Julia, Dallas, Texas; 3 daughters, Amy Bellows, North Richland Hills, Texas; Karen Gibson, Dallas, Texas, and Kathleen Gibson, Dallas, Texas; 1 granddaughter, Brittany Bellows, North Richland Hills, Texas; 3 grandsons, Jason Bellows and Brennan Bellows, North Richland Hills, Texas, and Benjamin Gibson, Dallas, Texas; 1 maternal aunt, Lufsie Shelley, Green Sea, South Carolina, and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, June 17, at 3 p.m. at the Kessler Park Ward, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1415 South Vernon Avenue, Dallas, Texas.   The family will receive friends during a visitation one hour prior to the service at the church.