JoAnn Sklarski: Kirk Gibson’s Wife, Family, and Parkinson’s Advocacy
JoAnn Sklarski is Kirk Gibson’s wife and a co-founder of the Kirk Gibson Foundation for Parkinson’s. They married in 1985 and raised four children. Their life together has covered his years as a baseball star, coach, manager, and broadcaster, along with a new chapter after his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2015.
She has stayed far less visible than her husband. Her family life, Michigan roots, and work for people living with Parkinson’s show a life shaped by sports, service, and a long marriage.
A Double Wedding in Michigan
JoAnn Sklarski married Kirk Gibson on December 21, 1985, in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. The wedding was unusual because her sister Sandy married former Detroit Tigers pitcher Dave Rozema at the same service.
An Associated Press report carried by the Los Angeles Times said the sisters were from Mount Clemens. The ceremony took place at Grosse Pointe Memorial Church, where about 600 guests were invited.
The timing was also important for Kirk because he had just finished the 1985 season with Detroit and was a free agent. His next baseball move was still being discussed while the wedding plans were set, and the marriage then lasted through some of the biggest years of his career.
Four Children and a Sports-Filled Home
JoAnn Sklarski and Kirk Gibson have four children: Colleen, Kirk, Cam, and Kevin. Sports became part of the next generation too, especially through Cam and Kevin.
Cam followed his father into baseball. He played at Michigan State and was picked by the Detroit Tigers in the fifth round of the 2015 MLB Draft.
That day had a strong family link. MLB reported that Cam was at home with his parents when Detroit selected him, and he said his father stood up smiling before the moment ended with a hug.
Kevin took another route and played college hockey at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
In 2014, Kirk was managing the Arizona Diamondbacks in Australia. He and JoAnn were in their hotel room watching two sons compete at the same time, with one computer showing Cam’s baseball game and another carrying Kevin’s hockey game. MLB documented the moment during the Diamondbacks’ trip.
It captures the family well: one son on a baseball field, another on the ice, and both parents following from thousands of miles away.
Motherhood Stayed at the Center
One of Kirk’s clearest comments about his wife came on Mother’s Day in 2014. While managing Arizona, he told MLB that he had sent her a message praising the way she cared for their children.
That short line gives a clear view of how he saw her role at home as the family lived through long baseball seasons, road trips, career changes, and college sports schedules while the children grew up and their father moved from player to broadcaster, coach, and manager.
She stayed at the center of that family life.
Cam Gibson Followed the Baseball Path
Cam’s career created the strongest sports link between father and son. He played outfield at Michigan State, the same school where Kirk had starred in football and baseball.
MLB covered Kirk watching Cam in college and noted how proud he was of his son’s work in class as well as on the field. Detroit drafted Cam in 2015, creating another family link because the Tigers had drafted Kirk in the first round in 1978, and Cam later played in Detroit’s minor league system.
For his mother, that meant years of watching another baseball career grow inside the family. She had already spent much of married life around the major leagues, and now one of her sons was chasing the same sport.
Kevin Gibson Chose Hockey
Kevin Gibson built his own path in hockey. He played defense for the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and his games often ran at the same time as Cam’s baseball schedule.
The 2014 Australia trip gives the clearest picture. Kirk and his wife watched both sons online from their hotel room while he was working an MLB series.
One child was on a baseball field and another was on the ice, while their parents were thousands of miles away trying to follow both.
Parkinson’s Changed the Family’s Direction
Kirk announced in 2015 that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and the diagnosis changed the family’s next chapter.
The Kirk Gibson Foundation leadership page lists JoAnn Sklarski as a co-founder and board member. After her husband’s diagnosis, she became an advocate for the Parkinson’s community.
The foundation focuses on helping people with Parkinson’s live better, with movement and exercise forming a major part of that work.
This gave her a clear role beyond the baseball world. The family began using its time, network, and fundraising reach to support people dealing with the same disease.
Building the Kirk Gibson Foundation
The foundation grew into a major part of the couple’s life. Its leadership includes Kirk and his wife, while its work includes fundraising events, baseball programs, and projects tied to Parkinson’s wellness.
In 2019, the Everybody vs. Parkinson’s gala raised more than $1.5 million for programs and research, and the foundation listed Kirk and JoAnn among the people at the event.
By 2026, the work was still active, with the group holding its 10th annual golf classic and running a Detroit Tigers ticket program that directed part of each ticket sale to the foundation.
She remains part of that work.
The Kirk Gibson Center for Parkinson’s Wellness
The family’s work also led to the Kirk Gibson Center for Parkinson’s Wellness. The center is built around exercise, movement, and daily support for people with Parkinson’s.
Kirk has said that he and JoAnn formed the foundation to help others understand how useful regular movement can be as part of care. The goal grew into a plan for a center that offers activity-based programs without charging the people who use them.
For her, the project links a family health crisis with direct help for other families. A diagnosis that first changed their own home became the reason for broader work in the community.
A Marriage Across Every Stage of Kirk’s Career
JoAnn Sklarski married Kirk before some of his most famous baseball moments. Three years after the wedding, he won the 1988 National League MVP award with the Los Angeles Dodgers and hit his famous walk-off home run in Game 1 of the World Series.
His playing career later ended, but baseball stayed in his life through work as a coach, broadcaster, manager, and team executive. He won National League Manager of the Year with Arizona in 2011 and later returned to work with Detroit.
The marriage covered all of those changes, along with the children’s sports years and the health challenge that changed the couple’s goals after 2015.
Strong Michigan Roots
Michigan has stayed important to the Gibson family. Kirk grew up in the state and became a star at Michigan State before the Detroit Tigers drafted him.
JoAnn came from the Detroit area, and their wedding took place in Grosse Pointe Farms. Cam later attended Michigan State and joined the Tigers system.
The Parkinson’s foundation also has deep Michigan ties. Its events and programs bring together athletes, donors, businesses, and families from the region.
That makes JoAnn Sklarski’s life closely tied to the same place where Kirk first became a sports star.
Her Role in 2026
In 2026, JoAnn Sklarski is still listed by the Kirk Gibson Foundation as a co-founder and board member. The group continues to hold events and build programs for people living with Parkinson’s, including work connected with the Kirk Gibson Center for Parkinson’s Wellness.
Kirk also remains linked to the Detroit Tigers and to the foundation. Their life is different from the years of full baseball seasons and constant travel, but family, Michigan, sports, and Parkinson’s work remain at the center.
JoAnn Sklarski’s Place in the Gibson Family
JoAnn Sklarski has been married to Kirk Gibson since 1985. They raised four children while his career moved through championships, coaching, broadcasting, and management.
She also helped build the family’s next chapter after his Parkinson’s diagnosis. As a co-founder and board member of the Kirk Gibson Foundation, she has supported work focused on movement, wellness, fundraising, and better daily life for people with the disease.
The Gibson family now connects more than one generation of sports with a cause that reaches far beyond baseball.
For another sports-family profile, read our Denika Kisty article on LakewoodScoop.co.uk.