Mrs. Janet Cordes Gibson (STH ’61)
This obituary was originally posted by East Bay Times and can be found here.
Janet Gibson, our cherished mom, sister, aunt, grandma, friend, and champion, passed away on October 31, 2023. Janet was born on April 30, 1937 and grew up with her parents and older brother, Charles, in San Mateo, CA. One of her first jobs after high school was working as a waitress at the Pancake 
House restaurant where she learned to drink coffee black and to make her famous pancakes. After graduating from College of the Pacific, she attended seminary at Boston University where she met her husband, Ed Gibson. They married in 1962. As seminary students, Janet and Ed were profoundly
influenced by the teachings of theologian Howard Thurman, who was their professor and mentor at BU. One famous quote by Howard Thurman reads, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Certainly Janet lived her life by this credo as she dedicated herself passionately to that which made her “come alive” such as meeting new people, traveling to new places, joyful celebrations with family and friends, social justice, immigrant rights, nuclear disarmament, world peace and especially peace in the Middle East.
As a young couple, Janet and Ed lived in Knoxville Tennessee where they attended nonviolent social protests against segregation. Afterwards, they lived in Stuttgart, Germany and traveled around the world on their way home to California; visiting dazzling places including Jordan, Egypt, India, and Indonesia. Upon returning to the United States, they lived in Oakland, CA and attended many peace rallies to stop the Vietnam War. Throughout her life, Janet attended various marches and rallies for peace, justice, and worker rights. Most recently she attended the Climate March in Washington DC on her 80th birthday.
In 1972 Janet and Ed moved to Alameda, CA, where Janet held a job as a special education teacher. They raised their two daughters, Sylvia and Jennifer, and a few dogs and cats, in a house furnished with love. Janet worked for Alameda Unified School District for nearly three decades and, after retirement, she served two terms on the Alameda School Board. She was an active union member, valued colleague, supportive mentor, and stalwart advocate for special education students and their families. Janet also served several years as president of the Ecumenical Peace Institute board, dedicated to “embracing all faith and earth-based traditions bringing to life universal values as we seek truth, work for justice, nurture compassion and courage, reach out to each other and to our larger communities of faith and tradition, bridge the divisions that wound the human family, transform ourselves and our world through dedication to nonviolence in education, advocacy, witness and action.” Additionally, Janet was involved in Alameda city politics and a member of the Alameda Architectural Preservation Society. She attended the First Congregational Church of Alameda for 40 years and loved the pride flag.
In her moments at home, with family and friends, Janet was known for her 
amazing pies, her voluminous stories, and her astute advice. She attentively supported her beloved husband Ed during his 20 year battle with Parkinson’s disease. She encouraged and inspired her children and grandchildren to live healthy, enjoyable lives dedicated to the well-being of our community and world. She and her family spent summers on a quiet lake near Inlet, NYwhere she will be dearly missed by her family and community. Janet is deeply missed, yet remains a shining light in the hearts of her brother Charles and Stella Cordes, her daughters Sylvia Gibson and Jennifer Gibson, her grandchildren Ben Pineda Gibson, Soul Rees, and Eden Rees, as well as her big circle of family, especially Raymond Manna who is “like a son” to her, the whole Biehn family, and her wide sphere of friends and community. We celebrate Janet’s life as a life well lived!
A celebration of Janet’s life will be held on Saturday June 15, 11am-2pm at the First Congregational Church in Alameda, CA. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Janet’s honor to the Middle East Children’s Alliance, www.mecaforpeace.org