Gaynell Ann Skibbe

Ann Skibbe passed away January 7, 2023, a few months short of her 97th birthday.  

Born Gaynell Ann Gamber, she was christened "Gabby" —for her energetic chatter—by a grade school teacher in Pelham, NY, a moniker she lived up to throughout her life.  As a teenager, she moved with her mother and sister, Dorothy, to Catonsville, MD, where she went to high school and worked at the University of Maryland Hospital in the admissions office.  After graduating from Goucher College, she was a bacteriologist in the Hospital lab.  On a weekend trip to Ocean City, MD, at the steps of the Year Around House, Ann met Don Skibbe, who was serving in the US Army at Aberdeen Proving Grounds.  After his discharge, they moved to Wilmington where they primarily lived throughout their marriage.

Ann was an active and devoted mother and grandmother who strongly believed in the power of education. She taught for a decade at The Beechwood School with her dear friend, Pat Attix. After her husband's death in 1995, she found her community at The Academy of Lifelong Learning (today Osher Lifelong Learning Institute/OLLI) where she volunteered at the reception desk and cafeteria while attending classes most days.  She was also a longtime member of the American Association of University Women and a Girl Scout leader. Summers you could find her on the beach and at the West Fenwick house she and Don bought in 1975. It was the scene of many themed birthday parties, family poker nights and talent shows put on by her grandchildren. 

She is survived by her daughters, Donna (Lewis Podolske), Cindy Vogt (Tom), Debbie Lynch;  the grandchildren she adored, Katie Bosacco (Matt), Marie Vogt, Madelyn Vogt, Zack Lynch (Andrew Kugle), Clarke Lynch, Dylan Lynch; and her greats, Thomas and Nicholas Bosacco; her late brother Dave's children, John, Jim and Cayo Gamber.

Many thanks to Ann's Kingsridge neighbors for their kind attention; Casey Biddle who saw her through the pandemic with good cheer; the nurses and staff at Foulk Living for her excellent care these last months; Drs. Wetherill, DeMarco, Kalish (and his colleagues) for keeping her going all these years. 

Her family invites friends and loved ones to celebrate her life on March 25, 2023 at 12 Noon at The Carriage House at Rockwood Park, Wilmington, DE.  Please RSVP, http://evite.me/ZXwhKjEcyU. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to OLLI, www.olli.udel.edu/gifts/ in her memory.

To offer condolences, please visit:

Gebhartfuneralhomes.com

302.798.7726

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