Angela L. Gribble

Scottsdale, AZ — Angela Louise Gribble, 84, of Scottsdale, AZ, formerly of Chambers, died Thursday, March 30, 2023 in Scottsdale.

Memorial visitation will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, April 20, 2023 at Biglin's Mortuary in O'Neill with a 7 p.m. parish rosary.

Memorial funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, April 21, 2023 at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in O'Neill. Fr. Bernard Starman will officiate.

Burial will be in the O'Neill Cemetery in O'Neill.

Memorials may be made to the family for future designation.

Angela was welcomed into this world by Mary Ann and Sylvester Zakrzewski and eight excited siblings on the glorious day of July 27, 1938. O'Neill was not only her birthplace, it was also this cute Polish girl's stomping ground while attending and later graduating from St. Mary's Catholic School. As a Cardinal cheerleader she mastered the megaphone as well as the splits while being known to many as “Ziggy.” 

It was while working as a carhop that this homecoming queen met and soon married “Dreamboat” aka Bernard Gribble from Chambers.  This union of 22 years, which started April 10, 1958, was spent on a ranch twenty miles south of O'Neill. 

In her early years of marriage, she worked at the ASCS office in O'Neill and also attended beauty school. She later worked out of her home beautifying the area ladies during their weekly hair appointments. After 10 plus years of working in a concentrated hairspray environment, she realized she was allergic to the biggest tools of her trade.

Her entrepreneurial spirit led her to buy “Rusty's Roost” a little country bar located a mile from her home. In 1974, a woman bar owner in small town Nebraska was quite the scandal…but she thrived. Angie's Corner was born and nurtured to become a well-known family hot spot for games and good food. Her broasted chicken, burgers, potato salad, pizzas, oyster stew, “tube sock” vegetable beef soup and her famous chicken noodle soup were a few of the local favorites. After ball games and during the Holt County Fair and Rodeo, the atmosphere was electric. Standing room only…five people deep to get to the bar or a booth.  You soon learned not to challenge her to a game of pool or bumper pool unless you were humble enough to accept losing. She was also a straight shooter in relationships…you always knew where you stood. Also not known to most are the personal car loans that she made to many of the local kids…all except one paid her back.

An aversion to cold weather took her to Phoenix, AZ in 1980 where she tried her hand at being an employee…that didn't last long. The ownership bug soon bit Angie again and she purchased the English Bear Deli which once again flourished under her tutelage. After selling that business she spent a six-month stint at the Biltmore gift shop as a self-described soda fountain jerk. She also spent some time cleaning resort rooms. However realizing that she would rather give orders than follow them, she used her beauty school talents to start Fantastic Figure and Future Face…a body wrap business with facials. She and Sandi were making Phoenicians thinner and more beautiful one person at a time. Once again, after she built the business…she sold it.

The next two years found Angie obtaining her real estate license and working as a property manager for Rider Realty. When being an employee became less than satisfying, she bought a dirt floor space and created the Century Pub. After four years, lots of long hours, sweat and just plain grit…she and Sandi pulled off the statistically impossible and once again sold their food/bar business which they had started from scratch.

Idleness was never in Angie's genes, so she soon found herself, along with Sandi, as owners of the Executive Deli. She became famous for her homemade carrot cake, Macadamia nut chocolate chip cookies and breakfast burritos, which she also peddled office-to-office most mornings along with muffins and bagels. While selling these goodies she promoted the daily specials, enticing people to lunch at her deli.

After officially retiring from ownership…she became the manager at Mulligan's, a local golf club for a few years. Looking for a bit less stress, she took over as the beverage cart driver for the golf course…which she thoroughly enjoyed, making many new friendships over the next two to three years. When lugging heavy cases of beer and ice made its presence felt on her 66-year-old body, it was time to move on to something less manual.

Lunch lady became her new title as she learned to heat prefab food for her young middle school kids...including one of her grandchildren. After three exciting years with the younger generation, she moved on to become known as a Costco demo lady. Her next four years were spent cooking and serving up all those delicious food samples to inquiring patrons.

Done with paying jobs, she now spent her time volunteering at St. Vincent DePaul delivering food to the needy and working in their thrift store. Her love of God led her to be a devoted eucharistic adoration adorer as well as an avid recruiter. For many years, she also helped organize the outdoor rosary for the Feast of our Lady of the Rosary in October. She even managed to fit in a few trips to Rome, Fatima and Lourdes…the last one in 2018 with two of her daughters. It was this trip that she met Fr. Benedict, a Dominican priest who took her under his wing. A mutual respect was formed during this 10-day tour and made the trip an extra special memory.

Mostly work and some play described Angie best. She loved being on the hunt during garage sale season…always looking for a bargain, and of course always negotiating a better price. Luckily casinos were available year-round…as well as all-you-can eat crab legs. Rumikub was another favorite pastime for her to play when family visited, but her favorite long-time constant opponent and companion was Sandi. They always kept each other on their toes.

Angie is survived by her four children Tammy (Mark) Barelmann of Chambers, Sandi Melrose of Phoenix, AZ, Ree (John) Laetsch of Amelia and Bee (Shari) Gribble of Chambers;  13 grandchildren Brett (Kylee) Barelmann, Brienna (Jason) Cameron, Brooke (Levi) Dexter, Jacob, Jamie, Jacie (Colton) Cavaness, Jordan Laetsch, Matthew and Madison Melrose, Halie (Ethan) Schaecher, Rex, Kacie (Jackson) Hinze and Ross Gribble; and nine great-grandchildren Cambrie and Callen Barelmann, Kreed, Kerris, Kennison and Kadlee Cameron, Averly and Aria Dexter and Caisley Cavaness. She loved them all dearly.

She was preceded in death by her parents Mary Ann and Sylvester Zakrzewski, eight siblings, her ex-husband Bernard Gribble and an infant daughter Kimberly Kay Gribble.