Doris Jean Giblin, 90, passed away peacefully in her home the morning of July 23 after a prolonged illness. Born in Red Bank to the late Lester E. Shibla and Olive P. Fary, she lived locally for the majority of her life, returning to the area in 2000 to spend more time with her family after residing in the Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida area for nearly 20 years.
Doris was a talented artist who graduated from Red Bank High School a year early and then turned down an appointment to the Pratt Institute. Instead, she entered the workforce and was a nearly 40-year employee of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. She was a longtime communicant of the Reformed Church of Tinton Falls and a lifetime member of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Little Silver Volunteer Fire Department who continued to march in the borough’s Memorial Day parade well into her eighties. Doris and several friends also maintained a 6-decade-long monthly lunch club tradition affectionately known as the Squirt Club.
Doris was an accomplished athlete as well, excelling in softball and bowling in her earlier years before becoming an avid tennis player later in life. But perhaps her favorite sports-related activity was watching her beloved New York Mets play baseball. Doris also loved to travel and accompanied her family and friends on many vacation adventures near and far, including numerous trips to Atlantic City with her close friend, Phyllis Dillon and several cross-country excursions with her dear friend, Joanne Chenoweth.
Above all, though, Doris was dedicated to her family. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her husband Harold A. Giblin Jr. and her dear brother Charles L. Shibla and his wife Wilma, with whom she collaborated on decades of holiday dinners.
She is survived by her sons Shannon D. Giblin (Stella) of Little Silver and Kelly A. Giblin (Lisa) of East Windsor; stepson Michael L. Giblin (Karen) of Centerville, Virginia; stepdaughter Kathleen Goodman of Long Branch; 11 grandchildren, Peter Giblin (Elizabeth), Taylor Giblin, Connor Giblin, Olivia Giblin, Daniel Giblin, Stephanie Bounds (Jason), Christopher Giblin, Joshua Giblin, Jeremy Giblin, Casey Gardner and Jaime Garra (Peter); three great-grandchildren, Rebecca Bounds, James Bounds and Charlie Giblin; nieces Patricia Meenan and Barbara Curley (James); and nephew Nels Lybeck, with whom she shared a birthday.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by the Thompson Memorial Home in Red Bank. A memorial gathering was held there July 29. The interment will be private.
