Sheila Mary (Williams) Gilmour, of Brunswick, died peacefully in her sleep on March 5 with her husband of 41 years at her side. During the last 15 months of her life she was given loving care in her home by her family and by Community Health and Nursing Services (CHANS).
Sheila was born in London, England on Aug. 27, 1925, the daughter of Frank Garfield Williams and Sara Myfanwy Nicholson. Her childhood was spent in the London suburbs, Llandaff in Wales, and Manchester, where her father was Dean of Manchester Cathedral. She was a student at Sherborne School for Girls, after which she was conscripted into factory work to support the war effort in WWII. After the war, she attended Manchester University where she graduated with a degree in English Literature.
She was married to Frederick C. Wall in December 1948 and came to America with him in January 1949. They settled in Syracuse, N.Y., where they raised a family of four children. As her children got older, she returned to school to study for a Masters in Early Childhood Education. While there she was the graduate assistant of one of the early researchers of Head Start. She became a faculty member at Cazenovia College (Cazenovia, N.Y), where she directed an Early Childhood program and a demonstration Nursery School.
When she left Cazenovia, she did field training for Head Start aides in Western, N.Y. on an Appalachian grant linked to Corning Community College (Corning, N.Y.) When the grant expired, she was added to the Corning Community College Human Services faculty, where she taught for several years.
She moved to Alfred, N.Y. in 1974, where her second husband, John C. Gilmour, was a faculty member at Alfred University. While there she took several evening courses in counseling at Alfred University, and she began a new career as a clinical counselor for Allegany County Mental Health, where she specialized in the problems of women and children. She retired from that position in 1984. In 1991 she and her husband relocated to Hammondsport, N.Y. high above Keuka Lake. After John retired from Alfred University in 2000, they moved to Newcastle and then to Brunswick in 2011.
She was predeceased by daughter, Barbara Harrington; brother, Paul Hodder-Williams; and sister, Barbara Myfanwy Hollaender.
She is survived by her husband, John; children, William Wall of Gainesville, Fla., Sara Bollinger and husband Christopher of Fayetteville, N.Y., and Mary Wall and husband Marc Shankman of High Fall, N.Y.; stepson, Andrew Doud, wife Monica and their sons Jonah and Samuel Doud of Granville, Ohio; son-in-law, Terry Harrington and wife Jan of Prattsburgh, N.Y.; and grandchildren, Kelley Wall of Pompey, N.Y., Jeremy Wall of San Francisco, Cal., and Alex and Matthew Harrington of Eugene, Ore.
An announcement of a memorial service will come at a future date.
In lieu of flowers, please make contributions in her name to CHANS Hospice Volunteer Program, 45 Baribeau Dr., Brunswick, ME 04011; or Lincoln County Animal Shelter, 27 Atlantic Hwy., PO Box 7, Edgecomb, ME 04556.
Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.FuneralAlternatives.net.
Arrangements are under the care of Funeral Alternatives, Brunswick.
