Annabell M. Banik

Annabell M. Banik, age 93, of Bath, NY, passed peacefully on November 25, 2024, leaving behind her much beloved and bereft family. Annabell was born Annabell Haight in Campbell, New York in 1931 to William and Emma (Freeman) Haight.

Annabell was the eldest of a large family of twelve siblings, eight boys and four girls. Annabell’s youth was primarily spent in Monterey, NY where she, as the eldest sibling, spent much of her youth caring for her younger siblings. She moved from Monterey with her best friend and sister, Dorothy, to Corning, NY to embark on her first employment at the old Athens Restaurant on Market Street where she met her future husband, John Banik.

John and Annabell briefly left Corning and moved to Texas while John served in United States Air Force. John and Annabell were married for 52 years before John passed in 2007. While married, Annabel worked at and retired, after twenty-five years, from Corning Hospital.

Annabell was an especially devoted wife and mother to her four boys, who kept Annabell busy with their endless antics as she would often describe, with pride, her home life with her four rambunctious sons. It is hard to imagine how Annabel kept such an impeccably clean home with those four boys, but one would be hard pressed to find a speck of dirt anywhere in her home or a single thing out of place.

Annabell touched many hearts and lives with her sweet soul and her contagious laughter. She was a spitfire that kept you on your toes with her quick wit. Her humor and playful banter were legendary. We had the immense honor to call Annabell the matriarch of our family.

Annabell is survived by two sisters, Dorothy Dehn of Lancaster, NY and June Boces of Ohio; brothers, Donald Haight of Corning, and John Haight of Painted Post, NY; four sons, John and (Diane) Banik of Florida, James (Colleen) Banik of Bath, Charles Banik of Hammondsport, NY, and Robert Banik of Wyoming; grandchildren: Tina Robbins, Tania Banik, James Banik, Charles Banik, Brandon Banik, Kelly Banik, Robert Banik, Ryan Banik and Ryli Banik; as well as twelve great-grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, December 6, 2024 at 10:00 am at St. Joseph the Carpenter Church in Campbell, NY. Burial to follow at St. Mary's Orthodox Cemetery in Corning. A luncheon will follow at the Bath American Legion.

Annabell was graced with an extraordinarily beautiful and kind heart. She shared her generosity, smile and her kindness with everyone she knew, most especially her family. In lieu of flowers, please pass on Annabell’s kindness and generosity by performing an act of kindness in honor and in remembrance of Annabell’s loving spirit.