Josephine Gibilisco

Josephine Gibilisco, 93, of Rochester, MN passed away Wednesday, January 18, 2017 at her home, surrounded by family. Jo was born in Lincoln, NE, the third child of J. Stanley Welch, a surgeon, and Jesse Graves Welch, a pianist. Growing up, she along with her two brothers and one sister played musical instruments, and they performed at banquets and other gatherings accompanied by their mother on piano. Jo also played the cello for many years. She graduated from the University of Nebraska with a major in psychology, earning Phi Beta Kappa honors. After graduation, she enlisted in the Womens Auxiliary Army Corps, where she served as a psychiatric assistant. Following her army discharge, she took advantage of the G.I. Bill to go back to college as a graduate student at the University of Minnesota, where she earned a Masters degree from the Industrial Relations Center at the University. She was then employed by the University as a Research Associate. It was at the U of M that she met her future husband who was then in his senior year of dental school. Jo married Dr. Joseph Gibilisco on August 7, 1951 in Minneapolis. Jo was an active and dedicated member of St. Lukes Episcopal Church. In addition, she worked as a public opinion pollster, an election judge, and as a volunteer in many community organizations. Her volunteer work included many years as the program director for SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives), for which she received a Distinguished Service Award and a Gold Member Award. She was a computer coach at the SeniorNet Computer Learning center since its inception, and served as an Auxilian at Rochester Methodist Hospital for over 50 years. Her friends and family will always remember her as a beautiful, strong woman, with a loving and generous heart. Jo is survived by her husband, Dr. Joseph Gibilisco of Rochester; three children, Stan Gibilisco of Lead, SD, Marilyn (Rex) Boutelle of St. Paul and Carol (Darrel) VanderZee of Onalaska, WI; three grandchildren, Tony Boutelle, Tim Boutelle and Samuel VanderZee. She is preceded in death by her parents, one sister, Jane Welch; and two brothers, John and Jim Welch. A memorial service with Holy Communion will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 28, 2017 at St. Lukes Episcopal Church in Rochester (1884 22nd Street NW). Visitation will begin one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment will take place at the church columbarium. Memorials can be directed to St. Lukes Episcopal Church Growth Fund or the Southeast MN SCORE Chapter 406. The family wishes to extend their gratitude to the dedicated staff of Charter House Home Health and Mayo Hospice for their compassion and support. To share a special memory or condolence, please visit www.ranfranzandvinefh.com