Jean Gilluly, 86, of Edgartown and Marlboro, died on Jan. 30, 2024.
Born to Walter Gilluly, and Hilda Norton Gilluly on Dec. 30, 1937, Jean grew up on the Edgartown farm of her grandparents, Orin Norton and Elsie Shurtleff Norton. Her life was devoted to animals, her own, and those she took care of, first at the ASPCA in Edgartown while in high school; Angel Memorial Animal Hospital, shortly after high school; with Dr. Nelson in Brattleboro, Vt.; and at the Marlborough Animal Hospital, where she lived and worked for 50 years.
Jean enjoyed entering her dogs into agility and obedience competitions. Over her lifetime she had six dogs, a couple of cats, and a horse. She had many fond memories of growing up on the farm, playing with her friend Joyce Prada and her cousin Norma; and of her grandfather Orin, riding in his truck while he was listening to gospel music; and in her teenage years, horseback riding with friends.
When Jean was not working or taking one or more of her dogs to obedience or agility competitions, she was riding her horse or walking her dogs in the woods and fields around Marlborough, and when she came to see her mom on the Vineyard; camping around New England and Nova Scotia, or visiting her sister and nieces in Minnesota, and enjoying a trip to Bermuda.
She loved to tell a story about coming to Woods Hole and being told by one of the lot guys that he was going to be driving her car onto the freight boat, and when she got out and he started to get in, one of her Dobermans popped up from a nap in the back seat. He decided he was going to let her drive her car onto the boat.
She is survived by her nieces, Stephanie Tilton of Edgartown, Faith (Marty) Schmidt of Forest Lake, Minn., and Jennifer Tilton of New York; and by her cousin, Norma (Edson) Rodgers of Edgartown.
A graveside service is planned for Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 11 am, at Westside Cemetery in Edgartown.
