Death of 'jovial guy' Bibb a 'huge loss' to
community
Thurman Bibb, a member of the Harvey County
Sheriff's Department, will be remembered many different ways, by many different
people.
'There is nobody else like Thurman,' Lt. Mark
Hardtarfer said. 'He is so many things, and well-liked was one of them. He
could talk to people and put them at ease or he could get a room riled up.'
Bibb, who was a member of the sheriff's department
for 12 years, died Saturday at his Harvey County residence.
He served the sheriff's office as a warrant and
transport officer - but he was much more than a law enforcement officer.
Bibb was a member of St. Luke Presbyterian Church
and a former member of the U.S. Navy.
He was, as courthouse staff put it, a 'jovial guy'
who was a prankster.
And he had a love for children. That led him to be a
contestant in the CASA: A Voice For Children's annual Men in Tights fund-raiser,
and he recently was part of the Heart to Heart Child Advocacy Center melodrama
at the Fox Theatre.
'His passing is a huge loss to this community,' CASA
director Melanie Watkins said, 'to Harvey County, to Newton, to CASA and
children in general.'
Watkins has known Bibb for more than 10 years - not
only professionally but as a family friend.
She can't talk about his passing without tears or a
smile as she remembers the fun-loving man.
'Even on your baddest day, he could make you laugh,'
Watkins said.
He took joy in at least weekly giving CASA workers a
jolt - figuratively - from his Taser gun. He would stand in the door of the
office, remove the gun's leads and pull the trigger.
It almost always made office workers jump, which was
greeted by laughter.
But not to be totally the instigator of the fun,
Bibb also shared a video of him being shocked by a Taser with the same office
staff - which brought gales of laughter with it.
'He was a big, lovable teddy bear,' Watkins said.
'If you truly knew him, you'd love him.'
And come to expect the unexpected.
Hardtarfer tells the story of a meeting between
Undersheriff B.J. Tyner and Bibb.
Bibb walked into Tyner's office and slammed the
door. Then sat down, smile on his face, to just have a chat.
'He said, 'That was for effect,'' Hardtarfer said.
'After that, they shot the breeze for a while.'
Bibb had a gruff exterior, which was needed as he
served warrants or transported inmates for the county.
But when that gruff exterior was not there, his
friends saw a different man.
'Meeting him at first you'd think he was a gruff,
grumbly old man,' Hardtarfer said. 'But he was a prankster - and he
participated in Men in Tights. He has a soft spot in his heart for kids, and
was great with kids. That's why he did Men in Tights, because it would benefit
children.'
Bibb was 64 years old.
He had served 12 years on the Sheriff's Department,
also serving five years on the Halstead Police Department before becoming a
deputy.
Bibb leaves behind a wife, a son, nine daughters,
two sisters and nine grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 2 to 8 p.m. today with the
family present from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Kaufman Funeral Home, Halstead.
The funeral service will be at 9:25 a.m. Wednesday
at Grace Community Church of Newton with Pastor Paul Wissink officiating.
Cremation will follow the service.
Memorials may be given to CASA or the Bibb Family
Fund at First Bank of Newton, both in care of Kaufman Funeral Home, Halstead.
'It was a privilege to be a friend of his,' Watkins
said. 'I'll miss him. He would give you the shirt off his back. You can't
replace someone like him.'
