Ella Gilbertson

Ella Gilbertson (nee Georgeff), a long-time Hobart resident, passed away on January 13, 2022 in Frisco, Texas after a brief illness. She is survived by her sister Sylvia AhYou, daughters Sylvia and Jody, son Rick, granddaughters Isabel (Lee) and Minor, grandsons Danny and David, and great grandchildren Lucas, Emma and Jacob. She was a favorite aunt to many.

Ella came to the United States from Greek Macedonia as a young girl and proudly embraced her American identity, joining the Alpha Chi Omega sorority and becoming the first person in her family to receive a college degree. She taught English at Lew Wallace High School and Andrean High School, and after retirement she was a substitute teacher at Hobart High School. An avid reader, she was a long-time member of the Lake County Library Board of Trustees. She was also an active member of the Lake County Master Gardeners, and she had many years of pleasure and delight from her own beautiful flower gardens.

But Ella’s life is represented by far more than mundane accomplishments and memberships in organizations. She was a strong, intelligent woman with a curious mind. She relished a good debate. She was a lover of music and the arts, and she passed this on to her family. She had a strong spiritual bent and was fascinated by the universe and the unknown. She saw fairies dance around the full moon the night her twin siblings were born. She unconditionally loved her children, her grandchildren and her great grandchildren. She passed away less than two weeks after enjoying New Year’s Eve with her daughter Jody in Frisco, Texas, savoring life to its fullest down to the very last moment. Her daughters Sylvia and Jody and her granddaughters Isabel and Minor were privileged to be at her side as she crossed the threshold to join the ancestors.

For family and friends, there will be a joint celebration of life for Ella and her late husband Richard in late spring or early summer.