Ruth Gibbons

Mrs. Ruth Gibbons, 83, died on May 25 at Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA.  She was the wife of the late Raymond Henry Gibbons, who predeceased her in 2013.  Born on August 20, 1933 in Queens, NY, she was a daughter of the late Henry Trottier and Elise Lacoursiere Trottier.

Ruth grew up in New York City and was raised by French Canadian parents, so she learned to speak French as a young girl.  She was a 1951 graduate of Flushing High School.  The young Ruth Trottier was fascinated by travel and culture from an early age.  Although she grew up in the city that never sleeps, New York City was only the beginning of her passion of savoir faire, theatre and for the dynamics of ethnic nationalities.  She always loved to sing, having taken singing lessons at 10 years old, and loved to sing while washing the dishes, often leaving the kitchen window open so her neighbors could hear her sing. She loved Broadway, Italian Opera and light classical music.

Mrs. Gibbons wanted to be a nurse ever since she was old enough to play with her toy nurse kit and went on to received her nursing degree from Flushing Hospital School of Nursing in 1954.  During her senior year in nursing school, she met the man that would make her dream of traveling come true.  As the wife of an Army Chief Warrant Officer, she lived all over the United States as well as Korea and Germany and visited numerous countries around the world.  The couple had two children, Raymond Jr. and Christine.  In 1979 she graduated Summa Cum Laude with her Bachelor's Degree  in Psychology from Park College in 1979. She also earned her MA in Clinical Psychology from The University of Texas in 1984 and was a member of Phi Kappa Phi.   In addition to her career as a Registered Nurse and raising two wonderful children, Ruth also volunteered with the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, American Red Cross, El Paso Zoo and was a member of the Blessed Sacrament choir and Altar Society. Ruth and her husband lived in El Paso for 40 years until Raymond passed away in 2014.  Shortly after, Ruth moved to Frederick to be closer to her daughter.

Mrs. Gibbons is survived by children Raymond H. Gibbons, Jr. and Christine A. Nigida and her husband Steve; grandchildren: Alexandra Nigida; Samantha Nigida; Raymond Gibbons, III; Michael Gibbons; Shawnell Collins; Cyndelle Mosley and 10 Great Grandchildren.  She is also survived by a brother, Bruce Trottier and his wife Shizuko of Rockledge, FL and a sister, Nancy Trottier of El Paso, TX.

The family will receive friends on Wednesday, May 31 from 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM at Stauffer Funeral Home, 104 East Main Street, Thurmont, MD.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be Celebrated on Thursday, June 1 at 1:00 PM at St. Anthony Shrine Roman Catholic Church, 16150 St. Anthony Road, Emmitsburg, MD, 21727.  She will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or Operation Smile, 3641 Faculty Boulevard, Virginia Beach, VA 23453.