Anne Y. Gibson

Anne Yalowega Gibson (born November 21, 1921) passed away peacefully on December 21, 2024, exactly one month after her 103rd birthday, in New City, New York. She is survived by her two loving sons Cabell T. Hatfield Jr (MaryAnn Hatfield) of New York, NY, and Paul S. Hatfield (Virginia Hatfield) of Los Angeles, CA; three grandchildren: Cabell Hatfield III (Meredith Hatfield) of New York, NY, Dr. Dana Hatfield (Robert Greene) of Philadelphia, PA, and Jeni Hatfield Benhain (Brad Benhain) of Los Angeles, CA; plus two great-granddaughters: Abigail Greene and Lina Benhain; and a sister Joan Hamilla. She is preceded in death by her husband of 21 years Moses “Mac” Gibson, her daughter Michele Hatfield, her sisters Harriett Dusanenko, Olga Wojtowicz, and Julia Huzzar, and many beloved family and lifelong friends, as will happen when living a very full life.

Anne was born to Stephan and Katerina (nee Pifko) Yalowega in 1921, the second oldest of their five daughters. She was, however, the only daughter born in their native Ukraine, in the vicinity of Lviv, in what is now Western Ukraine. The family had gone there to attend to pressing family matters that arose because of the chaos following World War 1 and the Bolshevik led Russian Revolution. They returned to New York when Anne was still an infant. She was raised in the borough of Manhattan, NYC and became a US citizen in 1943. She graduated with the highest honors from Julia Richman High School, at the time an all-girls school. The family was very active in the Ukrainian-American community and Anne was a talented Ukrainian dancer, often performing and teaching dance. She formed a Ukrainian dance troupe, Dance Ukraine. Rehearsals were held at the Ukrainian National Home on Second Avenue in the East Village. Anne’s first marriage ended in divorce. She had three children: Cabell, Michele, and Paul.The family lived one floor apart from her parents in the same apartment building in the Bronx. Her parents were instrumental in raising them while Anne worked tirelessly to support the family as a single parent.

Anne developed superlative office skills while in high school which helped her to land a job as a stenographer at a prestigious law firm in New York City - Cravath, Swaine and Moore. Her abilities were appreciated there and she was promoted to work directly for Roswell Gilpatrick, a senior partner in the firm. This role proved to be pivotal as in 1961, she transitioned to working for him at the Pentagon while he was Deputy Secretary of Defense, appointed by President John F. Kennedy. She became well acquainted with some of the prominent figures from that time, including Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, the President’s family, along with key congressmen, senators, and high-ranking generals and admirals. She worked diligently to support Deputy Secretary Gilpatrick during a tumultuous period in the nation’s history, which saw the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis. The latter brought us to the brink of nuclear war with the USSR.

After the untimely passing of her daughter, Michele, in 1964, Anne permanently moved to Arlington, VA in early 1965, and continued her career at the Pentagon until 1988. It was here that she met her husband, Cmdr. Moses McAfee (Mac) Gibson III, USN. They wed in 1969 and remained happily married until his passing in 1990. Anne went on to live independently for many more years in Arlington, VA. One of her favorite pastimes was to treat family and friends to Sunday brunches at the Fort Myer Officers Club.

In her later years, she attended as many family events as she was able, including a final trip to California at age 97 — not long before the pandemic — for her youngest granddaughter’s wedding. Well into her 90s, she continued to enjoy many trips to the condo she and Mac owned on Grand Bahama Island, where she had made many good friends over the years. 

With a life filled with rich experiences, Anne was a natural and gifted storyteller. Her memory for detail was extraordinarily sharp, and she was known to all as a master of telling humorous yarns. She lived a full life filled with happiness and sorrows but she never let the latter get her down. She always maintained a positive outlook and her guiding principle was, “Never look for trouble; trouble will find you!” Anne will live on in our hearts and memories and we will look back fondly at the times we spent with her. Anne will be laid to rest with her husband at Arlington National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to United24 (https://u24.gov.ua/), a charitable organization which funds relief efforts and supplies to war-torn Ukraine