Ms. Rhonda Gibson passed away on Saturday, February 17, 2024 at the age of 56. She was born on October 1, 1967 to the late Paul Perry and Georgia Cantrell Perry in Ft. Campbell, Kentucky.

The Memorial Service for Rhonda Gibson will be held at 1 PM on Saturday, February 24, 2024 at the Progressive Chapel.

Service will be live-streamed (see clickable link below)

Visitation will be Friday beginning at 12 until 5:00 PM.

Rhonda was born to The Late Mrs Georgia Marie Perry and The Late Master Sergeant Paul Perry on October 1, 1967 at Fort Campbell, Ky, growing up in the neighboring military town, Clarksville, TN where she was nurtured until adulthood.

Rhonda has always been a spiritual person, she grew up in the church and was baptized AME at a young age while attending South Chapel (formerly known as Chapel 6). She had a beautiful voice and sang lead soprano in the youth choir, then young adult choir. After moving to Columbus, GA she joined St Mary’s Road UMC where she sang in the choir. Of late she worshiped virtually, seeking inspirational biblical content for fellowship, and having a more interpersonal relationship with God.

Rhonda graduated from Northeast High School, Class of 1985 and attended Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN. While attending Austin Peay State University, she pledged Alpha Angel, making a host of life long friends. After moving to Columbus, GA in 1992, she studied billing and office management, and also attended cosmetology school in Atlanta, where she studied esthetics.

After leaving Clarksville, Rhonda moved to Tampa, FL then Columbus, GA to assist in starting up the privately owned pediatric practice of Terilyn C Perry MD, on September 1, 1992, where she assumed the roll of Office Manager. This was the beginning of her professional career as an extender of medical care to the pediatric community, spoiling all of the children with treats, assisting parents with medical advice during and after hours, all while providing primary administrative duties for an entire medical practice. She was an integral part of growing the practice, wearing many hats over her 31 years of service, but her specialty was management of billing/insurance, human resources (HR), and Medical Office Assistant.
Rhonda was a very creative person, and loved arts and crafts. She had an entrepreneurial spirit and made beautiful gift baskets, candles, and soaps. She had a unique style of dress, and a great eye for fashion. She was a foodie, and a self taught culinarian. She loved music, singing, and dancing.
Rhonda has always been a very loving, and caring soul, even as a young child she could put herself in another persons’ place, feeling their pain before the typical age for the development of that milestone. She loved family, and her children, Jamiel and Julion, more than self.

After being diagnosed with breast cancer, Rhonda chose to live life “on her terms” that being her final declaration, and a recurring theme resonating from the context of every conversation since she passed. To her it was about the quality, not the quantity of life, and as a mother, seeing her children grown was her priority. And she did that…

She was preceded in death by her mother, Georgia Marie (Cantrell) Perry, father, Retired Master Sargeant, Paul Perry (Cheryl), paternal brother, Paul Perry Jr., paternal sister, Vera Perry, maternal grandmother, Annie Bowman Cantrell, maternal grandfather, Dillard Mitchell Cantrell I, paternal great grandmother, Mattie Lee Johnson, paternal grandfather, Charlie W Perry, paternal great grandmother, Gertrude Johnson “MaMa Johnson”, and paternal great grandfather, Walter Johnson.

She is immediately survived by sons, Jamiel Amari Gibson, Julion Eduard Townsel, sister, Terilyn Cassandra Perry (Stanley Jackson), brother, Derrick Lonnell Perry, bonus mother, Cheryl Upshaw Perry, paternal sister, Patricia Mixon, nephew, Sterling Jackson, maternal aunt, Sandra Margaretta (Cantrell) Sherril, and a host of extended family, deserving special mention are God sister, Earnestine F. James, God nephews, Dennis ‘Okeefe’ James, Dominic James, Antonio James, and God family, Pastor Belinda Clemons, Apostle Lewis Clemons, Gregory Clemons and Camille Clemons

Progressive Funeral Home staff is privileged to serve the Family of Rhonda Gibson.

Visitation

Feb

23

Progressive Funeral Home

4235 St. Mary's Road
Columbus, GA 31907

12:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Memorial Service

Feb

24

Progressive Funeral Home

4235 St. Mary's Road
Columbus, GA 31907

1:00 PM