Izadora Bell Gibbs

With hearts full of love and sorrow, we are sharing that our beloved Dody Gibbs went home to be with her heavenly Father & Savior Jesus on May 23, 2025 at the age of 89. 

Izadora Bell “Dody” Gibbs was born to Samuel Gene Hanks & Savannah McCoy Hanks on April 29, 1936 at their home in Nolan, Texas. Dody was raised in Nolan on the family farm, and from the very beginning she was always full of life, energy, and a strong spirit.

She graduated from Divide High School in Nolan in 1954, where she was an active and busy student. During her high school years, she was involved in numerous activities and clubs, including: Basketball, One Act Plays, Jr. & Sr. Play, the Majorettes, and FHA. As part of those and other activities, she was voted District Best Actress, Area All Star Cast, Outstanding Girl, Most Beautiful, Most Popular, Most Talented Majorette, Drum Major, Class President, and Carnival Queen.

After high school, she attended Texas Tech University, majoring in Business. She left a few hours short of her degree to marry Herbert Ray “Bud” Courtney and went on to have two kids, Kevin Courtney & Revis Stroud.

She moved to Midland in 1969 with her family and began working at Conley, Peters & Smith.

She married Jack Gibbs on April 13, 1975, and they were happily married until his passing in November 2001.

In 1976, she and Jack moved to Arkansas Junction, NM to begin cooking for her loyal oilfield customers & friends for 20 years before retiring. Some of her grandkids still claim that no one could make a better cheeseburger than their Granny.

Even after retiring, she retained a huge following while remaining in New Mexico until 2019, when she moved back to Midland.

Throughout her life, Dody was a strong and steady presence, always caring for those she loved most – her dear family – and never being afraid to speak her mind. She was a dedicated and loving woman who held her faith and trust in God until the end.

Dody was preceded in death by her husband Jack Gibbs; her mom & dad; sisters Dorcus Rhodes (husband Milton) and Martha Bowen (husband Don); brothers Richard “Buddy” Hanks and Gene Hanks (wife Nancy); brother-in-law Keith Bray; nephews Larry Lee Gluck, Bobby Hanks, Susan Hanks, and Jerith Rhodes; and great-nephews Jarmon Jacobs and Nicholas Hanks.

She is survived by her sister, Joey Bray; son Kevin Courtney & wife Susan; daughter Revis Stroud & husband Phil. Grandchildren Casey Chennankara & husband Ben; Lauren Fischer & husband Dave; Shanla Biddle; Eric Fitzgerald; and Brice Fitzgerald & wife Ashley. She is also survived by 8 great-grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews.

As Dody’s family, we also want to recognize the beautiful souls who cared for Granny in her later years. We want to give a special thanks to Stacy Lester, Matida Singhateh, Jainaba Ceesay, and the incredible team at Angels Hospice Care who cared for her so well, especially in her final days.

A memorial service will be held in Dody’s honor on Saturday, June 7th, at 11:00am at Bellview Baptist Church in Midland, TX. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Angels Hospice Care of Midland.

While we will miss Dody deeply, we are grateful for a life well-lived, and we remember and sing the words of the psalmist in Psalm 121 with hope that we will see her again one day: “I lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.”