I really don't know where to begin.

My fellow hunter and friend Mr. Joe Gibson passed away yesterday around Lunch time. He left behind a legacy that not many folks can live up to. He was first and foremost a God Fearing man, and next Family man, and then a Foxhunter.

I come to know Mr. Joe (Big Emma) some 10 -12 years ago and immediately took to the ol man. We both believed in hounds running the Whole night long and doing better come daylight that they were at dark. I soon learned that he Had been hunting all his life and how he had been President of the Alabama State hunt and had helped judge some of the biggest hunts in the Nation on Horseback. We talked on the phone near weekly and begin trying to hunt together around twiced a month. For the record we both disliked July's so that brought us together even more. We were both Lovers of a great yote and fox race on a Friday night and both Loved a good Catfish Supper before the Race! I want to share this story with you one that I will never forget!

We ( Mr. Joe, Big Jon, and Me) gathered at Ridge Grove Fox Pen one hot Summer night with a pretty good pack of Hounds and we turned out around 9pm. We jumped pretty quickly and the race was on. The yote we got after seemed to have a good pattern set and along the creek and we were in for a good race. Around 11 Mr. Joe ask about breaking some bread and we did we boiled some eggs and had some vianna's red rine cheese and saltines. As the night progressed a certain hound that I sure wished I could claim but I can Not whose name was HIGHBALL STRIDE begin to really start pulling hounds around, with a good yodeling mouth. Mr Joe being probally 82,83 at the time took notice and begin to enquire of what and who's dog that is. Big Jon got to claim him and told Big Emma the history/pedigree of what Highball was. Around 2:30 3 clock range me and Jon took a nap we ask big Emma about it and he said boys yall go ahead but Daddy would have my hide if I laid down with hounds out running. So we kinda felt bad but laid down anyway needless to say neither one of us go much sleep and just before daylight I was getting my boots back on and looked and coming up the road from the creek bottoms was Mr. Joe with his flash light. We quickly begin to enquire of how things had been going and he said " Boys them hounds has got the knife drawn". They been real hard and have been all night! Well big Emma what you doing off down the Road there, He said " Wanting to see this hound yall call HighBall". I never was able to see him cross the road but one thing about these hounds are running like hounds are suppose to. We stood around listen and tried to see few crossing without any success, and in just a short amount of time we heard a dog begin to bark bayed, so we hurried down to the back side and got several but was to late but before we could get our hands on Highball we heard him strike again. Now Highball was NOT a hound that knew what quit meant or was something he was going to do and if you wanted to go home it meant you got between him and the yote/fox he was running. This was probally around 6:30 and finally by 8am we had him and the others caught. We got back up to the camp all about to part ways and Mr. Joe Says "Let me see HighBall"! Well big Emma he don't look like much today he has mud all over him and he is give out... "Let me see HighBall"! So we drung the ol hound out and He so much enjoyed getting to see this hound. We ran together many times after that in dear ol Chambers county and in other places but we all loved to talk about the first night Mr. Joe got to hear ol HighBall run.

I had a lot of fun out Mr. Joe Gibson and for some unknown reason he like Big K. He never once complained about his health or about his problems. If you just talked to him 5 minutes I guarantee you would be feeling better about life. I could not tell you the times I have call big Emma about middle end of the week all down and out and before long after he told a couple his ol hunting tales I would already have little more go ye! Never have I met a Man as Humble as Mr. Joe Gibson. He was one of God's Little Children but he was my Friend. Never did he try to hurt anyone just always tried to help you with your problems. I realize that he has gone to be with our Lord but it sure doesn't help my ol Sinful flesh much as I look back over the memories of made with him around a Fire Drum. His Family will need your prayers during this time cause Dad is gone. I will add this wasn't going to but I am. Mr. Joe was also a WWII vet, one of the many who fought for us to have the right to do this thing we all Love so much "FOXHUNTING"! One of the last remaing true ol Timey Foxhunters are gone, but his memory will Live on with in our Hearts for as long as I have a right mind!

True Grit Kennel
Etowah Co,
Kyle Blakeley

Death of HOF member Joe N. Gibson Dadeville, AL

Let me start out on a side note, my brother and I have been drinking from the same well to many times, I was typing the following up while he was typing up his letter on the passing of Joe N. Gibson. I am not wanting to take away from what Big Kyle has said but just add a little to it and show you how the stories match up so you know what we are telling is right on the money. Agian, I am only posting this to show how close my brother and I were to this man and his family.


It is with a heavy heart that I have to report the passing of a great man, wonderful husband, loving father and great fox hunter, Hall of Fame Member Joe N. Gibson died June 30, 2013. He was born August 1, 1921 and lived 91 years on this earth and will be missed by many people for days and years to come.

Mr. Gibson was part of "The Greatest Generation" that saved the world during WWII. He was a honourable man in all things and and a class act all his days. He was the Post Master in Dadeville, AL for 30 plus years and knew everbody in town and maybe the county. He was married to the same woman, Mrs. Katherine or "Kat" as he called her for over 50 years. They had one son and two daughers, and a host of grand and great grand children. Mrs. Katherine died 7 years ago and it was truely his greatest pain.

He was inducted into the Fox Hunters Hall of Fame in 2008, and I must say he was humbly excited that the Fox Hound world would think enough of him to place such a honour on a poor boy from Tallapoosa County, AL.

My brother, Kyle Blakeley, and I met Mr. Joe or "Big Emma" as we came to know him, about 15 years ago at a derby hunt in Chambers County, AL and needless to say but a great friendship started from that hunt on. We came to know Mr. Gibson as a find fellow and a true southern Gentlemen, who loved the Lord Jesus, loved his family, loved life and enjoyed hearing hounds pack up and run a piece of game.

I remember hearing say so many things and tell some many tells of the days gone by so many different times. He would often talk of hunting with his Father, who he called Papa; he also would talk of hunting with George McKelvie, Dan Catrin, Don Willis, Grady Parrish, Granvel Farris, Red Bud Black, The Welchs of Chambers County and so many others.

Mr. Gibson had the privilage of being the President of The Alabama State FHA for several years. He was also privileged to judged the National FHA riding a horse several times. He hunted in several different states and bought hounds from so of the best breeds America has ever known. He went all the way to MO, to buy some hounds direct of Tiger Town Stormy and Cyrano Gordon Jester from Lee Johnson, he also went to SE, TX to meet and buy hounds from Hinkle Shillings. As you can see Mr. Gibson like the ole Raider Hounds that these men bred up. He told me several times Jon D, I messed up in foxhunting in a big way. I would say how is that Big Emma? He would say, between my daddy, George McKelvie and my hounds we should have had our on stock of hounds, we had hounds that could and would compete with anybody and for some reason we let them get away from us.

He would often talk about hunting with George McKelvie and Dan Catrin. I wont go into all those stories but he counted them both as good fox hunters and true houndsmen.

He loved a game tuff hound that run the track and barked every breath, and enough speed to run up with fast dogs. (Sounds like what I want to).

Some of his notable hounds were Bad Eye and Ole Della. Now, he had many others but he like those two the very best. He love to tell about either one and when you would ask him which was the better of the two, he would answer by saying, hard to say, they were both different hounds and each had their own best points, but Jon d you would love to have either in your pack today, and then start laughing.

For the past several years Big Emma has been in an assisted living home there in Dadeville, Al where he had lived all his life. Then about 2 months ago he was moved to the VA nursing home in Alexander City, AL and it broke his heart and really bothered him to be in there, but he had gotten pretty feeble. Over the last several years, his short term memory was really failing him, but he could remember the 40-80's well, and love to talk about those days, and I love to listen to him tell about all his hunting buddies and great races he had heard.

I know this is already to long but let me tell one more story on Big Emma, since he will be buried on July 3, 2013. This story comes to my mind due to the date. It was July 4, 2003 that Mr. Gibson, Big Kyle, and I gathered up in Chambers County, AL to run a coyote. We cast probably about 8:30 or so and the race was on. Now, let me set the scene a little better, it was July 4th and we had not had any ran in several weeks and it was DRY and HOT. Big Kyle and I both figured it was probably a wasted trip but we had promised Big Emma that we would hunt that night and so we went on but our faith for a good race was very weak. But Big Emma was as postive as ever, and by 11:00 that night we seen he was right. Man did they run good. At that time I had two nice hounds that I had gotten from Bobby Stockstill in south, MS and my brother had Mo-Jo Dixie B. The two hounds I had was ole Mud and Hi-Ball Stride. Well, about Midnight or so I mean man this was a race that would never be forgotten by any of us, and about Midnight, Big Emmas said okay you boys are being modest and I can appericate that but I want to know right now what that hound is that is knocking the front end out with that good mouth. I looked at big Kyle and he looked at me and then Big Kyle said, Big Emma you talking about ole Hi-Ball, he said I am talking about that hound right there>>>>>, Big Kyle said yeah that is Jon's big white mule, ole Hi-Ball. Big Emma looked at me and said, Big Jon where did you get that hound, and is he going to do that till daylight? I told him where I got him and told him I think he will do it past daylight! He said boys I ain't heard a hound run like that in several years. What is that hounds blood work. I begin to tell him, he said of course he has got some good stuff in him, and I know you wouldn't sell him, but I want a pair of pups as soon as you get some. Well, boys from that day on he was Hi-Ball's biggest fan, sometimes I wish I had let Mr. Gibson have that ole white dog, for he liked him better than I did. Now, daylight come and Hi-Ball was still sitting up there talking to that yote, and was completely dominating the race at this point. Around 8:00 that morning they bayed and Big Kyle and I rushed down to where they were and caught the hounds, well they had bayed in a mud hole, and Hi-Ball was soaked with the dirty water from the Mud hole and yes we saved the ole coyote for he to had run a good race. Well, when we got back to the camp, Big Emma came out to meet us and said did yall get Hi-Ball big Kyle said yeah he's in the box, Big Emma said well show this hound to me, and we open the box and there Hi-Ball lay right in the door covered with dirt water and mud on him. Big Emma shook our hands and said boys that there is a real hound and he just run as fine a race I've heard in many years and look forward to hearing him run many more.

Well, later on we give him 2 dogs and female off him and they all three turned out for Big Emma and he was happy to own them. Today we have hounds that go back to those three hounds, which were by Hi-Ball Stride and Shady Oak's Lil Bit.

We know to be absent from the body is to be present with The Lord, and I know that Joe N. Gibson is now basking in the SON light of God's glory waiting for The Morning of all Mornings, He is now in Paradise. For this I am thankful yet at the same time, my heart breaks knowing that I will never get to hear him tell about any of those great hounds of yester year, or those grand ole hunters that he knew, but I will always remember that he taught my brother and I a lot about life, and fox hunting and he would tell you real quick Blood shows up. Blood work matters, in humans as well as in hounds. Breed good hounds and hunting them hard, don't turn your head when they screw up and always evaluate in the field every time and don't let any thing slide, and you to can keep good hounds. I hope this is true.

Lord Bless, the Gibson family is my prayer and Lord bless fox hunting for both have lost a great man

In Bonds of Love,
True Grit,
Jonathan Blakeley

Sorry to hear this, I thought alot of Mr. Joe! We'll miss him.

BIG JOHN & KYLE HAS IT WELL PUT.MR.JOE WAS A GODLY MAN,FAMILY MAN,& THEN A FOX HUNTER.HE WAS AS GOOD AS THEY COME.MR.JOE HAS GIVEN ME SOME GOOD WORDS OF WISDOM IN SOME TIMES THAT IT WAS REALLY NEEDED.HE LIKED A GOOD TRACK RUNNING DOG THAT HAD A GOOD MOUTH.HE WILL BE MISSED BY A LOT OF US & THANK THE LORD THAT I HAD THE CHANCE TO BE AROUND HIM FOR A WHILE.I HAVE NOT BEEN BY TO SEE HIM LATELY & I FEEL TERRIBLE ABOUT THAT.IF ANY OF YOU HAVE SOMEBODY LIKE THAT IN YOUR LIFE,PLEASE DON'T BE LIKE ME & NOT JUST TAKE THAT TIME & GO SEE EM.

WE AS EVERY DAY PEOPLE SAY THAT WE ARE SO BUSY & DON'T HAVE TIME TO DO THINGS SUCH AS THIS,BUT REALLY ALL WE HAVE IS TIME.WHEN PEOPLE LIKE MR.JOE,ALL THEY HAD WAS TIME WHEN THEY WERE SITTING IN THE NURSING HOME OR VERANDA.IT MEANS A LOT TO THEM & BIG KYLE & JOHNATHAN,HE THOUGHT AS MUCH OF YALL AS YALL DID HIM.HE LOVED TO JUST SIT & TALK ABOUT DOGS & OLD HUNTING STORIES.HE WILL BE MISSED DEARLY,BUT HE IS WHERE HE WANTS TO BE NOW & THAT'S @ HOME W/MRS.CAT.

Well, boys its July 3, 2013, and we are going today to lay a great man to rest. HOF Joe N. Gibson his tabernacle of clay will be laid beneath the narrow limits of the grave today about lunch time in Dadeville, AL, to wait the final Trumpet to sound and call his body out of the ground to meet The Lord in the air.

Please be in prayer for his children and grandchildren as well as all of us who loved Joe N. Gibson aka Big Emma.


Lord Bless,
True Grit,
Jonathan