Edith "Leslie" (Tucker) Gabbard

Edith “Leslie” Gabbard, 65, of North Vernon, passed away at 12:51 p.m. on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, at her residence.

Born September 18, 1959, in Detroit, Michigan, she was the daughter of the late Lester and Edith (Day) Tucker. She married John Gabbard on December 15, 1975, in Detroit, Michigan; he survives.

Leslie was a lifelong teacher, homemaker, and housewife. She formerly attended the First Apostolic Church of North Vernon and is currently attending The Well in Scottsburg.  She enjoyed studying aeronautical crashes and shipwrecks and how they happened.

Leslie created art. She loved using unconventional mediums like fabrics, plaster, a well-articulated word, and sometimes kitchen ingredients. 

As an artist and a teacher, she created worlds of patterns and colors waiting to be interpreted - finding the beauty in the weird, abstract, and woeful. She had a gift for revealing meaning where others might not have thought to look.

Though her home reflected her creativity through collections of art, statuettes, and trinkets that told the story of her life, Leslie’s deepest joy did not come from things. Her true happiness was found in her family and in her roles as a wife, mother, and Mimi. 

Leslie leaves us with memories as rich and colorful as the art she created. 

Surviving with her husband are her daughters, Sara (Brad) Brockman of Seymour, Deborah (James) Carmichael of Freetown, and Diana (Lee) Murphy of Seymour; brother, Benton (Kathleen) Gibson of Attica, Michigan; sister Gerri (Phil) Taurence of Wyandotte, Michigan; grandchildren, Molly (Seth) Boyd of Seymour, John (Hailee) Brockman of Seymour, Josiah Carmichael of Freetown, Isabella Carmichael of Freetown, Zion Carmichael of Freetown, Rayna Murphy of Seymour, Pierson Murphy of Seymour, and Adyrah Murphy of Seymour.

She was preceded in death by her parents; sisters, Darlene Gibson, Rebecca Lesley, Melinda Christianson, and Teresa Tucker; brothers, John Earl Gibson and Lester Tucker; nieces, Jennifer Lipps and Teresa Wilde.

A funeral service for Leslie will be held at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 7, 2025, at Dove-Sharp & Rudicel Funeral Service and Cremation Service in North Vernon with her son-in-law, Reverand James Carmichael officiating. The visitation for family and friends will be on Sunday, from 2:00 p.m. until the time of the service.

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