Anne Marie Pelini Gibbs

Anne Marie Pelini Gibbs, 60, passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 25, 2025, at Kobacker House in Columbus, Ohio after bravely enduring cancer for a second time. She spent her last weeks surrounded by her loved ones, who had learned from her the art of caregiving.

Anne was born on February 12, 1964 in Youngstown, Ohio to Anthony James and Mary Catherine (Ryan) Pelini and grew up in Boardman, Ohio as the sixth of eight children. Anne was a devoted Catholic. She attended St. Luke Elementary School in Boardman and was a 1982 graduate of Youngstown Cardinal Mooney High School where she achieved academically and gave service to the Mooney family through her involvement in academic and social clubs and as vice president of her senior class. Anne was a 1987 graduate of The Ohio State University College of Nursing.

Anne devoted her professional life to serving her patients through her nursing skills with kindness and compassion at hospitals and care centers in Youngstown, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Chicago, and recently to serving her long-term care patients for four years at First Community Village in Upper Arlington.

Anne devoted and dedicated her life above all to her three children, to whom she gave unwavering support in their pursuits of their goals as architect, medical professional, and social worker.

Passionate about education and learning, Anne was an avid reader, assembling a library of books ranging from the Holy Bible and The Life of Padre Pio to Anna Karenina, Little Women, and the poetry of Maya Angelou. She held a particular fondness for the novels of Charles Dickens. Anne loved movies, taking her children often to new releases at the theater, introducing them to TCM, and cultivating an eclectic collection of VHS tapes, LPs, and DVDs that will be appreciated by her children. Also passionate about music, Anne was a skilled pianist, filling her home almost daily for much of her life with the music of composers from Frederic Chopin to Scott Joplin and with music scores of her favorite movies. With every change of residence, Anne showed her devotion to reading and music, prioritizing moving heavy boxes of books and her upright piano, even if that meant downsizing other household furnishings. She loved to cook, experimenting with recipes from the cookbook of Yotam Ottolenghi, a gift from her son, but proudly excelling at her “classics” like Italian wedding soup and meatballs with red sauce. Anne fostered her love of learning and appreciation of culture in both her children and her nieces and nephews, always encouraging them to interest  themselves in worlds outside of themselves and frequently taking her children to museums, nature centers, zoos, libraries, and concerts. 

Anne responded to her struggles with cancer and to other challenges in her adult life with strength, determination, grace, and dignity. Her perseverance in the face of suffering was supported by her deep Catholic faith. Anne believed in the power of prayer, attending Mass daily when she could and holding a special devotion to the Rosary. Anne nourished her spiritual life through continually reading the Catholic catechism and learning about lives well lived through Catholic saints and theologians.

Anne will be remembered for her rich sense of humor and infectious and unabashed laugh; her fastidious and delicate attention to organizing and decorating her home; her earnest and unpretentious cultural appetite; and her love of conversation and storytelling, which was supported by an enviable recall of specifics. Anne will be especially missed for the care and concern she showed to everyone from every walk of life and for the deep well of love she held inside her for her children, the rest of her large family, and her friends.

Anne is survived by her three beloved children, Joseph Patrick (Kelsey) Gibbs of San Francisco, California, Samuel Anthony Gibbs of Powell, and Emily Marie Gibbs of Dublin; Anne’s siblings, Nancy Ann Pelini of Upper Arlington, Mary Catherine (Timothy) Grillo of Upper Arlington, Vincent Anthony (Dianne) Pelini of Canfield, John Anthony (Cyndi) Pelini of Ligonier, Pennsylvania and Rittman, Michael Anthony (Patti) Pelini of Fairlawn, Carl Anthony Pelini of Youngstown, and Mark Anthony “Bo” (Mary Patricia) Pelini of Canfield; and many nieces, nephews, extended family, and friends.

Anne was preceded in death by her beloved parents, her beloved nephew Mark Vincent Pelini, and other members of the Ryan and Pelini families.

A Mass of Christian Burial celebrated by Father Vincent Nguyen will be held for Anne at Saint Mary Catholic Church, German Village, 684 South Third Street, Columbus, Ohio, at 1 p.m. on Thursday, February 20, 2025. A musical Prelude will begin at 12:30 p.m. A Vigil will immediately precede the Prelude at the Church.

Especially for those unable to attend the Funeral Mass in Columbus, a Memorial Mass celebrated by Father Vincent DeLucia of Saint Dominic Church will be held for Anne in the Chapel of Resurrection Cemetery, 300 North Raccoon Road, Canfield, Ohio, at 1 p.m. on Friday, February 21, 2025. The Rite of Committal will immediately follow.

The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to “Egan Ryan Funeral Home in Memory of Anne Marie Pelini Gibbs” at Egan Ryan Funeral Home, 403 East Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215.

*Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul, and the souls of all of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.* 

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