Sarah Richardson Bates Gilman

July 14, 1941 – May 21, 2024

Sarah Richardson Bates Gilman, known to all as Sally, passed away on May 21, 2024, in Weston, MA, after a long and courageous battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Born on Bastille Day, July 14, 1941, in Waltham, MA, she lived a life filled with creativity, adventure, and devotion to her family and community.

Sally grew up in Waltham, MA, in a lively household filled with pets, music, and outdoor adventures. Her mother, Esther, was an opera singer of some renown, and her father was an engineer. The family’s only car was a Jeep, often used for exploring the countryside and nearby ponds, which sparked Sally’s lifelong love of the outdoors. Her father even built her a kayak, which she used to paddle local waters.

After graduating from Waltham High School, Sally attended the New England Conservatory, where she studied voice for a year and a half. During this time, she worked as an office manager in Boston, where she met Fred Gilman. The two first noticed each other while stepping outside to observe a fire in a nearby building and soon found reasons to “meet” on the elevator. Their courtship included frequent hiking trips in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, where they summited all of the state’s 48 4,000-foot peaks. They completed the list shortly after their marriage in 1963 at the historic White Horse Inn in Newport, RI, where Sally’s family had deep roots dating back to the early Quaker community.

After marrying, Sally and Fred purchased a townhouse on Beacon Hill in Boston, back when it was an affordable neighborhood. They spent their weekends fixing up the house and rented out rooms to help pay the mortgage. When Sally became pregnant with their first son, Tom, they moved to Weston, MA, where they bought their first home on Bogle Street. Sally remained a resident of Weston for nearly 60 years, until her death.

While raising her two sons, Tom and Dan, Sally returned to school in the mid-1970s as a continuing education student. She took morning classes, with sitters helping in the afternoons, and attended Regis College for a year before transferring to Wellesley College. She graduated in 1982 with a degree in Art History. Sally explored a wide range of subjects during her studies, including geology, Spanish, art history, and astronomy. It was at Wellesley that she discovered her passion for photography, a pursuit that became a defining feature of her life. After taking her first photography class, she was rarely without her camera, capturing moments of family life and the beauty of landscapes and nature. She built a full black-and-white darkroom in her Weston basement, where she developed and printed her own images.

In 2002, Sally served as photo editor for a book on the history and architecture of Weston. She spent countless hours restoring archival images, often reprinting them in her darkroom to achieve the perfect quality—long before computers simplified such work. She also contributed to a similar book on the history of Sandwich, NH. In addition, Sally built a successful portraiture business, capturing the unique personalities of her subjects, including many Wellesley College faculty members, on film.

Sally’s creativity extended far beyond photography. She was remarkably “crafty,” excelling at sewing and other handmade projects. She created stuffed animals for her sons when they were young and later made beautiful patchwork “granny quilts” for each of her grandchildren when they were born. Sally also spent time making pottery, even handcrafting the tiles for the backsplash in her Weston kitchen, using local plants to create patterns pressed into the clay.

Sally and Fred’s love of the outdoors led them to Sandwich, NH, where they purchased a home in the quiet countryside near the White Mountains and Squam Lake. Their Taterboro Road property became a treasured family retreat for over 40 years. Sally poured her energy into her expansive gardens, which often earned blue ribbons at the Sandwich Fair. She found joy in the treehouse her son Tom built for her above the beaver pond, using it as a peaceful spot for solitude and photography.

An avid singer, Sally was a devoted member of First Parish Church in Weston for over 50 years. She sang in the church choir for nearly the entirety of her membership and contributed to many church activities, including helping to establish a sporting goods exchange in the church basement. She also hosted the choir’s annual Christmas party, complete with her famous lamb cake and a lively Secret Santa gift exchange.

Sally was a keeper of her family’s history, carefully organizing and preserving a trove of photographs, letters, and books dating back centuries. Her meticulous work ensured that generations to come would have a window into their past. She was known for fostering a sense of community and her graceful ability to listen, ensuring everyone felt heard.

Sally was also active in her community, serving as a member and president of the Friends of the Weston Public Library, where she fostered library programs and engagement. In Sandwich, NH, she contributed her time to the East Sandwich Chapel Association.

Sally’s love of hiking, music, gardening, and craftsmanship was a constant throughout her life. She passed on her passion for the mountains to her sons, who each went on to summit all 48 of New Hampshire’s 4,000-foot peaks, following in their parents’ footsteps—and in their own pairs of Limmer boots. Known for her subtle, dry sense of humor, Sally found joy in quiet jokes and moments of lighthearted absurdity.

Sally is survived by her husband of 60 years, Fred Gilman; her sons, Tom Gilman and Dan Gilman; her daughters-in-law, Laura Beth and Maia; her four grandsons, Chas, Mitchell, James, and Chris; and her two granddaughters, her namesake Sarah “Sadie” and Lily. She was predeceased by her two older sisters, Nancy and Molly.

A memorial service will be held at First Parish Church, 349 Boston Post Road, Weston, MA, on Saturday, January 18, 2025, at 11:00 AM. All are welcome to attend.

Sally’s warmth, creativity, and adventurous spirit will be deeply missed but fondly remembered by all who knew her.

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