Ms. Mattie Hartsfield-Gibson

Ms. Mattie L. Hartsfield- Gibson, age 78, of Gainesville, FL, transitioned from time into eternity on Tuesday morning, December 23, 2025 with her loved ones at her bedside. Mattie Linease Hartsfield Gibson's story began on November 3, 1947, at 16:05, inside Duke Hospital in Durham, North Carolina. Raised in Bunn, NC, she grew up surrounded by a big, layered family-born to William Edward Hartsfield and Mattie Ruth Ellis, one of nine children, with three older bonus siblings: Major Hartsfield, Delzia Guyton, and Samuel Hartsfield. Life eventually carried her north to the city that claimed her heart: Bridgeport, Connecticut. She loved it-Seaside Park, Beardsley Park, Pleasure Beach, and the Midway-the kind of places that stayed in her conversations like favorite chapters. Before military service, she worked at Allied Signal, then proudly served in the United States Army as a Private First Class (PFC) and was honorably discharged in July 1969. Education mattered to her, and she studied Early Childhood Education at Housatonic Community College. Mattie worked at S.N.E.T. in Connecticut and retired after 27 years of dedicated service. She later continued working in Bridgeport at a well-known variety store and with a rooming house. She loved to travel-and she loved to tell the story afterward. She loved the road, and she loved to drive, especially her beloved Mustangs. Her hands were rarely still: she knitted, crocheted, and sewed, and if you received one of her afghans, you were truly loved. Her nephew Arthur West called her "Mama Celeste" because her lasagna was unforgettable. She was stubborn, strong, and determined-enduring 11 years of dialysis without giving up easily. To her children, she was the center of their world-a teacher, a lawyer, and an architect-building, defending, guiding, and loving in her own way. She was married to William Gibson, and to this union were born two children: Leah Gibson (Gainesville, FL) and Shawn Gibson (Hamden, CT). She leaves to cherish her memory her grandchildren Jahvar Gibson, Taj Mayes, Brea Morales, Emerie Morales, and Jahrdan Gibson; her great-granddaughter Ariya Mayes; her sisters Joyce West and the late Arthur West (Bridgeport, CT), Lelia Clark and Ellison Clark (Plant City, FL), Vivian Doughty and John Doughty (Maplewood, NJ), Sherry Hartsfield (Raleigh, NC), Rita Faye Jones (Durham, NC), and Reba Kaye Gamble (Durham, NC); her sister-in-law Shirley Gibson (Miami, FL); and a host of cousins, nieces, and nephews in North Carolina, along with extended family and friends. In addition to her parents, Mattie was preceded in death by her bonus siblings Major Hartsfield, Delzia Guyton, and Samuel Hartsfield; siblings William Hartsfield and Teddy Hartsfield; William Vernon Gibson; one stillborn child, Rhett Davis; and two other beloved children. And when the final page turned, Mattie Linease Hartsfield Gibson transitioned to the afterlife on December 23, 2025, at 6:57 a.m., at The Malcolm Randall VA Medical Center. Services for Ms. Gibson will be held on Friday, January 9, 2026 at 11:00 AM at Chestnut Funeral Home, 18 NW 8th Avenue, Gainesville, FL, 32601. Resolutions may be emailed to wecare@chestnutfh.com. Floral arrangements can be ordered at www.chestnutfh.com/obituaries. "A CHESTNUT SERVICE"

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Ms. Mattie Hartsfield-Gibson

November 3, 1947 - December 23, 2025