Tim Tibus was a rock-and-roll kind of guy who liked to have a good time, with his black cowboy boots, long hair, silver rings, and heavy-metal T-shirts. But he was also kind and loyal, friends recalled this week.
“Friendships and bonds really meant a lot to him. He portrayed an air of a tough guy — the good kind of machismo energy — and would stand up for people he loved, but was also really gentle and sweet,” said Jimmy Christensen, whose artist father, Dan Christensen, employed Mr. Tibus as his studio assistant for many years.
Mr. Tibus, a Springs resident since the 1990s, died of a heart attack at home on Saturday. He was 61.
For the elder Mr. Christensen, who died in 2007, Mr. Tibus stretched and framed canvases, among many other tasks. He also worked as an assistant for artists including Larry Zox and Jim Anderson, his friends said.
And he was an artist himself, working in abstract and landscape subject matter, mostly in paint but also in printmaking and other mediums. Friends said he showed his work in group exhibitions at Ashawagh Hall, Guild Hall, the Lucore Gallery and the Depot Art Gallery in Montauk, the Parrish Art Museum, and the Southampton Arts Center, among others. He had work in private collections, as well.
Timothy Robert Tibus was born in Passaic, N.J., on Nov. 12, 1962, to Robert John Tibus and the former Lillian Morici. He grew up in Clifton, N.J., and graduated from high school there. He went on to take classes at the Ridgewood Art Institute in New Jersey and the School of Visual Arts in New York.
After the death of Dan Christensen, Mr. Tibus stayed on at his estate, helping his widow, Elaine Grove Christensen, with yard work and other responsibilities.
Mr. Tibus was a member of a local softball team, the Maidstoners, for many years, and was a big fan of the New York Giants. He enjoyed cooking Italian cuisine.
“As much as he liked listening to Jersey metal, he loved just sitting in the yard and watching the deer and the birds, and walking over to the bay — Barnes Hole or Louse Point — to take a dip,” Mr. Christensen said.
Mr. Tibus’s mother survives and continues to live in New Jersey, as does a sister, Dawn Clark, and a niece he was especially close to, Jenn Louis. He was cremated. A memorial service in Springs is to be announced in the future.
