Joanna Gilman

Gilman, Joanna 74 of the South End, died peacefully on June 4, 2012, surrounded by her husband Murray Frank and members of her family. The cause was the recurrence of breast cancer, first detected and treated 13 years before. She leaves a large group of devoted and loving family members and friends: her children and their spouses and partners are sons John and Richard: also Lisa & John, Peter & Jonathan, Nathaniel & Nicole and Jeremiah & Licia. She also leaves her brother Alfred Gilman and his wife Kathryn of Dallas and their children and spouses: Amy & Mike, Anne & Jim, Ted & Frances. There are several grandchildren and grand nieces and nephews. Joanna was preceded in death by her daughter Susan. Joanna was born in New Haven, CT. The family lived in White Plains, NY and then in Maryland when her father enlisted in the Army during World War II and was stationed at Edgewood Arsenal. She went to high school in White Plains, earned a BA at Goucher College and a masters degree from the School of Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania. Joanna had a successful psychotherapy practice over decades, first in New York City and then in Duxbury, Hingham, and on Martha’s Vineyard, where they lived for 12 years. She and Murray lived in Boston’s South End for the last six years. Joanna volunteered in the Adult Basic Education Program at the Harriet Tubman House of United South End Settlement. She found teaching to be exhilarating and greatly admired the commitment of her students, many of them where able to go on to college and good jobs. In retirement, she developed a love for cooking, planning and making meals became a very satisfying hobby. She was always a gardener and had great fun in the small patio garden behind her condo. She had a small herb garden on the kitchen deck and grew the herbs for her cooking. Joanna loved language and words, she played scrabble almost daily with several e-mailing companions – they would attest that she was good at it. A memorial service is being planned for a later date. Joanna would appreciate contributions in her memory to be made to the Dana -Farber Cancer Institute where her care was superb.