(727) 774-3300

Lucy DeCubellis, who is undoubtedly the most beloved employee at Gulf High School, will retire at the end of the school year. She has been at Gulf for 20 years. Her last day will be June 18.

Mrs. DeCubellis, who is 78, is the principal’s secretary.

She started here at the start of the 1990-91 school year, working as the secretary in adult education. The following year, Cheryl Renneckar became principal and selected Ms. DeCubellis as her secretary. She has held that position since then, also serving as the secretary to Tom Imerson and our current principal, Steve Knobl.

Before coming to Gulf, Mrs. DeCubellis was the media secretary at Cypress Elementary School, starting there in about 1973. She worked there for seven years. She then became the secretary to principal Wendell Krinn at Ridgewood, and held that position for nine years. She has worked for the Pasco school system for 36 years.

Lucy Jones graduated from Gulf High School in 1948, one of 28 students. She says that about ten of her classmates are still living. They have a reunion once a year at her home.

In 1949 she married Albert J. DeCubellis, who was then stationed at Miami in the Coast Guard. He retired from the Coast Guard and also worked as carpenter. Mr. DeCubellis, who graduated from Gulf High School in 1940, died in 2001. His parents came here around 1918.

Mrs. DeCubellis has 7 children, 21 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren. Her children are: Pat Mallett, a media specialist at Calusa Elementary School; Tom DeCubellis, an electrician; Bob DeCubellis, a chiropractor in Sarasota; Jim DeCubellis, a chiropractor in Georgia; Ed DeCubellis, a circulation manager for Hughes Supply; Sue Smith, who runs a day care center; and John DeCubellis, a custodian at River Ridge High School.

Mrs. DeCubellis plans to stay busy in retirement, as she will volunteer at the Athena Academy, a charter school which her grandson Jordan Smith attends.