LAKE SAINT LOUIS, Mo. — Tony Gibbons lives in Lake Saint Louis and he believes in taking life as it comes.
“Don’t get excited and just take your time,” he said.
He often takes his time moving around the Lake Saint Louis Community Association golf course. He still plays the rounds of golf at the age of 102.
“I had a good one the other day. A 35. 9 holes. Which is pretty good for me,” Gibbons told 5 On Your Side.
He grew up on a farm in Edina, Missouri, and didn’t try golf until he joined the U.S. Army and humbly went off to fight in World War II in 1943.
“I just wanted to do my job,” he said.
Gibbons’ job in the war was as a fighter pilot. He flew a P-51 over the Pacific Theater and didn’t get much opportunity to golf.
“There wasn’t much time to do anything other than to fly and that was my game. Fly across the China Sea and escort bombers. That’s basically what I did in the later stages of the war,” he explained.
“It wasn’t scary other than you had to keep your head and not dunk in the ocean,” he added.
“He flew 125 combat missions,” said his son Michael Gibbons.
The missions earned Tony Gibbons a few medals. But he doesn’t think he did anything special.
“Nice to have. I guess they’re the record of what I did was real. I didn’t do anything that my buddies didn’t do,” he said.
“He like a lot of his friends just considered it to be something he need to do and should do,” said Michael Gibbons.
Michael and his five siblings are proud of their dad. “I’ve idolized him my entire life. It was an honor and has been my hole life being able to say that my dad is the kind of person he is. He is just a great man,” he said.
Michael uses some of the philosophies he learned from his dad on his own children.
“Enjoy what you’ve got and be proud of what you’ve got. But share and don’t be too greedy,” he said.
Tony Gibbons shares his time with his kids, 13 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren. But he can also be found on the golf course on Tuesdays playing 9 holes with his friends. He also takes part in a monthly scramble at another area course.
“Friendly faces and whoever I play with I enjoy,” he said.
Michael said his dad’s golf swing has improved over the years. He is starting to see why people marvel of his dad’s skills.
“It’s more amazing than I think myself and my brothers and sisters probably even realize. But we know it’s amazing,” he said.
Tony Gibbons has lived a rather amazing life doing things not just for himself but also with others in mind.
“What he’s done throughout his whole life, in the war, for his family, for his friends, for his community, I would certainly label him a hero. It’s an amazing life and he’s an amazing person,” Michael told 5 On Your Side.
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