Ruth Ann Merritt Nicastri passed away peacefully on December 17, 2023 at the age of 59. She leaves behind a family who loved her tremendously and will carry on her legacy.

Ruth Ann was born in New York City February 22, 1964, the beloved daughter of Dr. Anthony Nicastri, a pathologist and professor at SUNY Downstate, and Ann Gilbert Nicastri, an AP biology teacher. She grew up in Neponsit, New York in Rockaway Beach, with her three younger siblings: Christina Nicastri Mckenzie, Catherine Nicastri Dickhuth, and Daniel Gilbert Nicastri.

A voracious reader as a child, she quickly demonstrated intellectual curiosity and academic excellence, attending Beach Channel High School in Rockaway, initially enrolling at MIT, then transferring to the University of Virginia, graduating in 1985. She earned a master's degree from the Columbia School of International Policy and Affairs and went to work on Capitol Hill for Senator Les Aspin (WI). After a year on the hill, she matriculated to the New York University School of Law, paving the way for an extraordinary 30-year legal career. First starting in corporate law, the majority of her career was spent at the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). At this post, Ruth Ann focused on political risk insurance and finance, working every day with diligence and integrity for over 25 years, until her retirement in 2020. She was also incredibly proud of her pro bono work for issues she was passionate about, including fighting for asylum for victims of political persecution and working on cases that upheld criminal justice.

In 1996, Ruth Ann married the love of her life, Dr. Mark Pennybacker, a science teacher at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School. For 27 years, Ruth Ann and Mark shared a beautiful life and many wonderful memories with their two children, Mariana Merritt Pennybacker (22) and Matthew Anthony Pennybacker (20). She was the working mother we all admired, balancing a robust career and family with poise, grace, and style. Ruth Ann cherished her time as a mother and would go to any lengths for her children, always wanting the best for them.

Ruth Ann easily made friends wherever she went. She loved people and people loved her. She continued to be a voracious reader and developed a passion for cinema, even writing her own screenplay, entitled “The Mexican Affair”. She loved the ability to experience other peoples’ point of view in books and cinema, virtually walking in other people’s shoes. She applied that knowledge, providing kindness and empathy to all. Her positivity and contagious, beautiful smile, is timeless and will be remembered along the entire East Coast, from her early years walking with her father on Rockaway Beach, to more recently power walking in her local Bethesda neighborhood, to her last years fighting her rare incurable neurological illness. She is survived by her husband, children, parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins, and countless friends, neighbors, and colleagues who loved her immensely. We will forever miss her intellectual zeal, sincerity, and kindness. May her memory be eternal.

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