Eleanor Gilligan

02/27/2001

Eleanor "Ellie" Gilligan, 88, of Park Lane died yesterday at Timberlyn Heights Nursing Home, where she had been a resident for three months. Born in Sheffield on Nov. 26, 1912, daughter of Zacheus and Gertrude Smith Cande, she graduated from the former Sheffield High School and from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Mrs. Gilligan taught three years at Clark School for the Deaf in Northampton before returning to Sheffield. During the war years, she was a substitute teacher and volunteered for Home Service, a branch of the Red Cross that worked with the families of servicemen. She was a member of the Old Parish Church and started the Old Parish Antique Show, which she took part in for more than 35 years. She was active in the community and was involved with the 4-H Club, Brownies, Girl Scouts, and the prom committee at the high school. She was a member of the Visiting Nurses Association and the Sheffield Grange. Mrs. Gilligan was a founder of Hospice of South Berkshire and a gray lady at Fairview Hospital. She was also a member of the conservation committee and enjoyed working with young people and bird watching. Her husband, Matthew Gilligan, whom she married July 24, 1937, died Dec. 2, 1994. She leaves a daughter, Holly Coon of Sheffield; two sons, Gary Gilligan and John Gilligan, both of Sheffield; 10 grandsons, and a niece, Mary Philbrick of Sheffield, whom she raised. Funeral services for Ellie Gilligan will be Saturday, March 3, at 10 a.m. at Old Parish Church, Sheffield, conducted by the Rev. Arthur Kaufman, pastor. Burial will follow in Sheffield Center Cemetery. The family will receive friends Friday, March 2, from 4 until 7 p.m. at FINNERTY & STEVENS FUNERAL HOME. Memorial contributions may be made to either the Old Parish Church or to HospiceCare in the Berkshires in care of the Finnerty & Stevens Funeral Home, 426 Main St., Great Barrington, MA 01230. Remembrances, memories or reflections may also be sent to finnfh@bcn.net.

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