Friends, family remember UA student dead at 31

Christopher Miles Gibson, 31, a marketing sophomore from Waterbury, Conn., was known for attending football and basketball games. He got his nickname from his ability to chug 40-ounce beers.

"Chris was probably one of my best friends. I saw a side of him that not everyone saw," said Nancy Jacobson, a retailing and consumer studies junior and three-year friend of Gibson. "I was basically the sister that he never had, and he was the brother that I never had.

"I think it's important for people to realize that he's a really great person."

Gibson's body was found at his home Saturday at 11:30 a.m. by Jason Savage, a friend and neighbor.

Ted Wildman, a friend of Gibson and a sophomore majoring in Spanish, said Gibson was taking medication and should not have been drinking alcohol with it.

Gibson suffered from cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer for many years, said Andre Gibson, Christopher Gibson's brother.

Gibson's extracurricular activities included barbecuing with members of the UA basketball team and working at the Arizona Prevention Center.

"He was a sweetie. He was one of the better employees," said Kathleen Jaegers, an administrative secretary for the center.

Andre Gibson said he worked at the center because he always wanted to make people happy.

"He was well-known for bringing a good spirit to someone. He was humorous, the life of the party," Andre Gibson said. "He really cared about people."

Christopher Gibson is also survived by his son, James Gibson. A funeral will be held early next week in Waterbury.

Donations for a college fund in Gibson's name can be sent to: The Gibson family, P.O. Box 372, Waterbury, Conn., 06702.