Obituary of Earl-Michael-Kerns Gibbs

Montville - Earl Michael Kerns Gibbs, 58, of Oakdale, passed away at home with his family on May 5, 2013, after a long battle with cancer.Mike was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on Jan. 25, 1955, to Winifred (Johnson) Kerns and Earl Richard Kerns. After living in various places around the U.S., Mike grew up in Oak Ridge, Tenn., where he graduated from Oak Ridge High School. He attended the University of Tennessee, graduating in 1977 with a bachelor of arts in chemistry and biology. He completed his Ph.D. in pharmacology at the University of Kentucky in 1983.He married his wife, Cathie Peitzsch-Gibbs, in Oak Ridge, in 1976.Mike worked at Dartmouth Medical School as a Postdoctoral Fellow and research assistant professor for five years. There, he began his research of the molecular basis by which insulin lowers blood sugar. In 1987, Mike moved his family to Connecticut to work at Pfizer Central Research. He worked in the biology department on projects seeking drugs for the treatment of diabetes, including several which entered human clinical trials. His success allowed him to rise to the highest levels on the scientific ladder at Pfizer. During his time at Pfizer, Mike was known for his excellent and thoughtful approach to science. He was highly respected and liked by all his colleagues. When he left the company after 22 years, he was a research project leader in the Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic and Endocrine Diseases. Mike was most recently the vice president of Research and Development at PhysioGenix, Inc., where he designed studies for diabetes compounds and was instrumental in taking the compounds to the next level of development. Mike published dozens of scientific papers and was awarded seven patents over the course of his career.Mike was an avid runner, hiker, skier, and soccer player. He was a member of the National Ski Patrol at a resort in Tennessee during high school and college. He ran races and triathlons with the Pfizer running team and Mohegan Striders. He completed numerous marathons, finishing the 100th Boston Marathon in 1996 in three hours, 21 minutes. Mike was passionate about soccer; he played in high school, college, and in local adult leagues in New Hampshire and Connecticut. He was a referee, a coach, and an English Premier League fan.Mike was active in the local community and held office in several local organizations. He coached his children in their youth soccer leagues and was president of the Montville Youth Soccer Club. He was an Eagle Scout and was assistant scoutmaster in his sons' Boy Scout troop. Mike was preceded in death by his mother, Winnie and father, Earl.He is survived by his wife; his daughter, Ashley Gibbs Narayan and son-in-law, Elmar Narayan; son, Colin Michael Gibbs and daughter-in-law, Katherin Son; and son, Matthew Zachary Gibbs. He is also survived by his stepfather, Gary Orel Gibbs; sisters, Marilyn Kerns Gibbs Wagner, Donna Gibbs Hook, Alison Gibbs Butler; a brother, Mark Roger Kerns Gibbs; and many nieces and nephews.Instead of flowers, please give donations in Mike's memory to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (http://jdrf.org/get-involved/ways-to-donate/), the organization that funded some of his research at Dartmouth College and a cause to which he dedicated his life.His family extends its thanks to the nurses and doctors at Eastern Connecticut Hematology and Oncology (ECHO) Associates, The William W. Backus Hospital, and the Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven, with a special thank you to the nurses at the Center for Hospice Care Southeast Connecticut.His family will receive friends from 3 to 7 p.m. at their home in Oakdale on Saturday, May 11, 2013. Burial will be at a later date in Thomas, W.Va.