Gary John Sibio

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Gary John Sibio. He passed away in his sleep peacefully while at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, Illinois where he was working on recovering from a very recent illness. He was 73 years old. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from University of Illinois Chicago, Gary worked for many years at Mister Travel, tirelessly providing service to countless customers, and travel agents over the years with vacation, travel plans, and then computer and system support. This sense of service at work was only equaled by his service to God as a devout Catholic and parishioner of St. Ita’s (where he would also work for some time as well) in Chicago, as he did his best to apply His teachings to everyday life. When not working, and after a well-deserved retirement, Gary pursued hobbies related to fine arts, and was an avid nature and scenery photographer as well as interested in learning and playing music on the ukelele and recorder. He pursued both with passion and dedication, and was always proud to show off his progress and work both offline and online. His diverse musical interests, which included, most noticeably, The Grateful Dead and They Might Be Giants. His hobbies only served to fuel these hobbies and also contribute to how uniquely special he was. Additionally, Gary taught the value of cherishing life to his family by encouraging a love of pets, especially those that needed a home. Though the appearance of these pets was sometimes humorously unexpected, every one of them, whether they were dogs, cats, all manner of reptiles, and even a pet alligator (as a kid), received from Gary’s family the attention, affection, and care that Gary himself blessed his own family with over the years. Gary’s constant sense of humor will be one of the most-missed things about him. His tendency to introduce seemingly endless puns, bad jokes, and other funny plays on words may have induced mostly groans and (rarely) occasional and unexpected laughter, but they were always received with underlying fondness for someone who knew how to laugh at the world even when seemed difficult or challenging. Gary, son of Lydia and John, is survived by a loving family, including his wife Linda Sibio (neé Nowack), daughters Rachel Sibio-Sanchez (son-in-law Francis Sanchez and his mother Magdalena Sanchez) and Rebekah Sibio. He is also survived by sister-in-law Susan Nowack, Jean Taylor, Brother-in-law Carl Nowack, nieces & nephews: Michael, Bernie, Richard, Aubrey, Steven, Lindsay, and Mathew, as well as close friends that became part of that family, including Mark Lindeblad, Janet & Doug Kaniuk, Josephine and Servilliano Layug, and Father Jim Heneghan. He will be very much missed and always in their hearts.

Gary John Sibio

February 24, 1952 - January 4, 2026

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Gary John Sibio

February 24, 1952 - January 4, 2026

365 Days of Grief Support

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