Athlete, toy buyer.
Born at Winnipeg on 25 December 1925 to Charlotte Ferguson King (1895-1948) and Thomas Gibb (1886-1959), he showed interest and promise in athletics at a young age and performed at a high level of excellence for decades. He raced against the renowned sprinter Jesse Owens in the 1940s in exhibition competition and held his own against the 1936 Olympic champion. His abilities in and contributions to Track and Field and Soccer earned him entrance into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.
His love for his community led him to become the founder of the Winnipeg Toy Golf Tournament and the Woodhaven Community Golf Tournament. Known as “Pop” or “Poppy” to his family, his career choice as a toy buyer resulted in unusual surprises when the gifts he gave were opened by his children at Christmas. He also quickly gained the reputation as “The Toyman.”
His daughter Jennifer Gibb summed up his character this way: “He truly is a Christmas angel all year-round. He talks to and compliments many people throughout the day. I know of no other who can have a whole elevator talking to each other before they get to their floor. He even asked a Hells Angel at [a local restaurant] if his bike had air conditioning.”
With his wife Shirley Lucy White (1929-2001) he had three children. He died at Winnipeg on 2 August 2010.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 5 August 2010.
“Sandy Gibb,” Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame Facebook page.
“Alexander McTavish Gibb,” Gibb Family Tree, Ancestry.
“Christmas ‘angel’, year round,” Winnipeg Free Press, 4 December 2003.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 27 September 2025
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