Ann Stewart Gilbert

Ann Stewart Gilbert, age 97, passed away peacefully on September 16, 2026, in Nashua, New Hampshire.

Born in Bradford, Pennsylvania, Ann was the only child of Warren Arthur Vosburgh and Helen Kerr Vosburgh. She lived in Bradford until the age of 11, when she moved with her mother and adored stepfather, John Wesley Stewart, to Rutherford, New Jersey. Ann graduated from the Passaic Collegiate School and Swarthmore College, enrolling at Swarthmore at the age of 16. Years later, she returned to school and earned her Masters in Social Work at Boston University in 1981, at the age of 52.

In 1951, Ann met Edgar Allan Gilbert, III on a blind date at the US Military Academy, West Point, where he was introduced to her as the “King of the Beasts” (the cadet captain in charge of “Beast Barracks”, basic training for incoming first-year cadets). She looked past that title and the uniform to the man beneath, and less than 2 years later, on April 18, 1953, they were married at the Church of the Ascension in Buffalo, New York. Their devoted 62-year union included – and seemingly thrived upon – 18 years of military life, with frequent moves and brief postings in Gotemba, Japan; Rutherford, New Jersey; Fort Meade, Maryland; Fort Belvoir, Virginia; Urbana, Illinois; West Point, New York; Asmara, Ethiopia; Cape Coral, Florida; and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Ann and Ed eventually settled in Concord, Massachusetts, spending 41 contented years there, before moving together to Nashua, New Hampshire in 2010.

Along the way, Ann and Ed raised two boys and created a loving (and highly portable) home where family came first, countless trips and adventures were shared, and lots of tennis was played. Ann had a wide range of interests, was a devoted and attentive mother and grandmother, and ultimately got a kick out of being a great-grandmother.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Ed, who passed away in September 2015.

Ann is survived by her children, John Allan Gilbert (Cheryl Lee Gilbert) and James Stewart Gilbert (Laura Gilbert).

She is also survived by her grandchildren – Emily Gilbert, Allison Gilbert, Matthew Gilbert (and their mother Linda Vasil Gilbert), Samuel Gilbert, Charles Gilbert, and Matthew Bozek – and her great-granddaughter, Madalen Gilbert, with whom she shared an April 5th birthday.

Ann will be remembered for her fierce independence, her seemingly effortless dignity and elegance, her intellect and wit, her joy in reading and following tennis, and her deep commitment to her Episcopalian faith. She was happiest when surrounded by family, friends and laughter.

A memorial service will be held at St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, located at 147 Concord Road, Lincoln, Massachusetts on Saturday, October 24, 2026 at 11:00 am with a reception to follow.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that anyone wishing to do so please make a donation to the charity or cause of their own choosing. Some that Ann favored included Rosie’s Place in Boston, The Order of St. Anne in Arlington, the Nashua Soup Kitchen, and NH Public Radio and Public Broadcasting System.

Ann’s family finds comfort in knowing she is reunited with all her loved ones who passed before her, and especially her husband, Ed, for whom her profound love endured to the last.