"Brenda was one of five sisters and the tomboy of the family. She was a real diehard Redskins fan. Every Sunday, we would watch the game, and whenever they scored, we'd call each other on the phone and sing 'Hail to the Redskins.' She loved family, and the Redskins was one of the things we all enjoyed together. We called Brenda the queen of trivia. She could recite any Redskins statistic." -- Julie Wilson, sister

Profile:

Brenda C. Gibson loved her Redskins. She loved baseball, she loved boxing. "She could probably tell you more about sports than I could," said her husband, Joseph Gibson.

Brenda Gibson, 59, worked in budgeting and accounting for the Army, a job she was so dedicated to that she had postponed surgery to work last Tuesday and help close the books for the budget year.

The Gibsons, who have homes in Fredericksburg and Falls Church, have a 34-year-old son, Eric, and a 3-year-old granddaughter, Raven-Symone, who "was her heart and soul," Joseph Gibson said.

Both natives of Washington, the Gibsons were married for 35 years, though they had known each other far longer. They grew up together, attended the same schools and both graduated from Howard University. Brenda Gibson's four sisters also live in the Washington area.

"She was a good person," Joseph Gibson, 60, said. "If someone needed help, she was there for them."

Gibson said he is trying to keep himself from growing angry and bitter about the attack. The support services provided by the Pentagon, as well as the presence of his family, has given him strength, he said.

"Anger is what created the problem. To perpetuate anger from generation to generation doesn't resolve what the problem is," Gibson said.

-- Christina A. Samuels

Source: The Washington Post, AP and washingtonpost.com

The profiles in this feature were written in the months following Sept. 11, 2001.