Madelyn E. Sibo, 97, of Indiana, PA, wife, mother of five, and poet, passed away in loving arms at Indian Haven Nursing Home on Friday, February 13. A member of St. Bernard of Clairvaux Church, Madelyn had lived in Indiana since 1947 with her husband, Mike, who died in late 2014. Beautiful and energetic, Madelyn was known for her sense of humor and playfulness.

Madelyn was born Madelyn Elaine Orlosky on April 19, 1917, in Lane’s Mills, near Brockway, PA. She was the fifth child and fourth daughter of Paul and Anna (Costion) Orlosky. Not expected to live, she was carried in her grandparents’ wagon in a spring blizzard to nearby DuBois for a hurried baptism.

A lover of books and avid student, Madelyn was always at the top student in her class in elementary school. She also graduated first in her class from Brockway High School. A neighbor, recognizing Madelyn’s intellectual ability, offered to pay her way through college. However, the death of Madelyn’s father in the depths of the Great Depression forced her to take work at the local glass factory to support her mother and four younger siblings.

After her marriage, Madelyn began to study at Indiana Business School. But children soon claimed her time. She enjoyed being a mother. She woke her children with a song or rhyme and the smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, which were tucked into their lunches. She often entertained them by reciting poems that she had written or had memorized at school. For her 90th birthday, her children published a volume of her poems.

Later in life, Madelyn became an enthusiastic traveler. She and her husband enjoyed visiting their children and grandchildren. Madelyn also made several annual trips with friends.

Madelyn is survived by five children, Barbara (John) Mayes of Oak Park, Illinois; Michael Sibo of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Daniel (Kathleen) Sibo of Laingsburg, Michigan; Margaret (Steven) Price of Midlothian, Virginia; and Amy Sibo of Annapolis, Maryland. She had nine grandchildren: Elizabeth and Carter Mayes; Robert (Selcen) Sibo; Michael (Jennifer) Sibo; Stephen, Justin, and Christian Sibo; Emily Price; and David Sibo. She had four great-grandchildren: Sophia, Jillian, and Chloe Sibo and Tiffany Benson-Sibo. In addition, she is survived by her dear sister Jean Rittenhouse of Brockway.

Madelyn and Mike were also blessed with many dear and devoted friends whom they loved deeply and who became part of their extended family.

In addition to her husband, Madelyn was preceded in death by her parents; three sisters, Helen Orlosky, Margaret Lankard, and Josephine Rittenhouse; and five brothers, John, Robert, James, Philip, and Paul Orlosky.

Friends will be received on Sunday, February 22 from 3-6 p.m. at the Rairigh-Bence Funeral Home of Indiana. Friends and family are also invited to a rosary service that will begin at 2:45. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, February 23, at 10 a.m. at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Church, Indiana. Final internment will be at St. Bernard Cemetery.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Madelyn Elaine Sibo (Orlosky), please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.