Anna Marie Giacomini

Anna Marie Giacomini, age 60, of Saint Paul, Minn., passed away peacefully on July 27, 2025, with her husband and children by her side. After an epic and courageous seven-plus year battle against Alzheimer’s disease she is free at last.  A celebration of life is planned for October. 

Anna made everything better. Her kindness and selflessness were her superpowers among a long list of talents and endearing attributes.  

Anna was born June 4, 1965, in Redding, Calif., to Gail and Mervin Giacomini. She and her three older siblings were raised in the San Francisco Bay area. Anna was adventurous and spirited, travelling to Mexico as a child to visit her relocated grandmother, and to Israel, Spain, Finland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden during her high school years. She drove with an aunt, uncle and cousins to Alaska, and had the good fortune to make cross-country road trips with her dad and sisters. She had a proclivity for mischief, often partnering with her brother. 

Anna attended Sonoma State University where she focused on fine arts and discovered a talent for mixed media and 2-D art. She transferred to Chico State where she graduated with a degree in visual communications. She met her husband, Rick, during this time following his relocation from Boston for work. They met at a nightclub and danced. Anna lit up the room as she always did. They were wed October 13, 1990, in San Rafael, Calif.  

Work took the couple to Denver, Bucks County, Pa,; and ultimately St. Paul, Minn., in 1992 where Anna’s stellar design talents found success with clients such as CHS, Inc., Caribou Coffee, and the Minneapolis Public Library, supporting their business identities, brands, marketing and messaging. During this time, Anna’s embraced her love of running. In addition to numerous 5K and10K races, Anna completed 15 marathons including Grandma’s in Duluth, Twin Cities, New York Cities, the hard-to-qualify for Boston, and Athens, Greece, many of these with her dad and sister. The extremely challenging Dipsea 7.4-mile trail race, from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach, Calif., (over Mt. Tamalpais at an elevation of 1,360’), was her hands-down favorite. She managed to kick Dipsea’s ass 17 times between 1996-2018, with family members joining in on the “fun.” Oh how she loved to run and compete and did so through a final 10K in July 2022 with her two best running buds. 

Anna’s children were her pride and joy. Son Owen arrived in 1999 followed by daughter Ivy in 2000. She was an extraordinary mom. She was cruise ship director extraordinaire when it came to the kids. Arts, crafts, music, zoos, museums, pools, playgrounds. She kept pace and then some, more often than not exceeding the kids’ enthusiasm and stamina. She was the birthday cake baking queen with beautiful, fun and delicious results, not to mention extraordinary breakfasts. Monday through Friday her breakfasts more often than not resulted in kids’ tardy arrival to school. Then there was her fondness for donuts, and the family-famous and amazing stack-o-donut birthday cake.  

Anna loved the outdoors. In addition to explorations in her local backyards in California, Colorado, Pennsylvania and Minnesota, she loved to hike, ski and bike, Anna enjoyed regular visits to New England. Boston, Ogunquit Beach, Maine, and Lake Kanasatka, N.H., were family playgrounds. Why pick from the mountains, the lakes and the ocean when you can have them all! These visits always included a lot, really a lot, of ice cream, fried clams and blueberry pies. 

In addition to wrapping up vacation season, August meant the Minnesota State Fair and all that came with it. The 5K Milk Run, the giant slide, the photo booth for goofy fam pics, and food – all the new foods, and crepes. August was a gateway to Fall and back to school followed by Halloween, November birthdays, Thanksgiving, and, in our mixed-tradition household, the joys of Chanukah and Christmas. 

Anna was formally diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer in early 2018. With no family history, and no risk factors, it was the gut punch of all gut punches just as she and Rick segued into their empty nest years. She stopped driving that summer, after a road test indicated that it was time, and participated in a short-lived clinical drug trial.  

Anna continued running regularly through Fall 2022, slowing a down as her ability waned to effectively take in and process visual data. Travel remained important. New Jersey university graduations for the kids, her annual Spring trips to California to visit with her Giacomini clan, and an October 2023 anniversary cruise on the Upper Rhine from Amsterdam to Basel continued to bring light to her eyes and smiles to her face. 

Anna hated her growing need for care, but strong family and friend support enabled her to remain comfortably at home until March 2025, a testament to her strength and fierceness. While Alzheimer’s compromised select neurological pathways, from spatial to visual to verbal, it did not compromise her identity. She remained Anna until the end -- a blessing to all who knew her. 

Anna is survived by husband Rick Stempkovski, son Owen Stempkovski, daughter Ivy Stempkovski, and current best companion, lab Enzo. She is also survived by mother Gail Giacomini, father Mervin Giacomini, sister Laura J.Giacomini and husband Shigeki Takasaki, sister Angela Giacomini and brother Vincent Giacomini and partner Amy Haden, niece Sarah Giacomini Takasaki, sister-in-law Kathy (Stempkovski) Eichelroth and husband Rob Eichelroth, and their children Jenna Eichelroth and Marlee Eichelroth. She will be dearly missed by her Minnesota “sisters” Beth, Lani and Rita. 

In lieu of flower, donations may be made to Art Buddies (Minnesota), https://www.artbuddies.org/. Anna was passionate about art and children and remained an amazing mentor well into her illness. 

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