Obituary of Anne Frances Gillett

Anne Frances Reeves Gillett (age 82) of Lebanon, Tennessee, departed this life on Thursday, June 23rd, 2022 on the ten-year anniversary of the loss of her beloved husband (Butch). Anne was born on November 23rd, 1939 in Lowell Massachusetts to Frances Shugrue and Lester Reeves. Anne met her future husband at a high school basketball game in MA. He played and she was a cheerleader for the other team. She married Lewis Chapman Gillett Jr. (twice actually). When Butch was attending the Naval Academy and Anne was in Nursing school, they were not allowed to marry by school rules. So much in love with one another, the two snuck off together and married secretly, later followed by an official ceremony in the Church. Mom always celebrated two anniversaries. Together they raised three children. As a Navy Wife, while Butch was on a Naval deployment in Europe, she and the kids followed him on a German Coal Freighter so they could spend time with him during his cruise.  As a mother, Anne had an unconditional love for family, was always there for her children and friends to listen or provide an opinion and help guide her children and friends through difficult times.

After attending Westford Academy in Massachusetts and receiving her nursing diploma in 1960 from Burbank Hospital School of Nursing in Fitchburg Massachusetts, Anne found her calling as a Registered Nurse (RN). She later received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of New Hampshire. Anne was licensed and practiced nursing in seven different states; the majority of her time was spent at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut as a night shift Charge Nurse. The ER was always at its busiest on one of Anne’s shifts!  She was adept at mentoring young Nurses in the Emergency Department and volunteering as an EMT with Stony Hill Fire Department in Bethel CT. Anne was an avid supporter of her children’s activities which were numerous and included becoming an AAU competitive swimming Judge.  Anne was a lifelong Boxer dog owner, having several at a time throughout her life and raising nine generations of “Gillett Boxer” dogs. Many of the puppies went to loving homes of her friends and family over a period of more than fifty years. In her later years she was a big supporter of the Middle Tennessee Boxer Rescue, participating in transfers, fostering, and adopting older boxers. She called herself a “foster failure” because she often found herself adopting her foster pups. Anne and Butch enjoyed international travel and enjoyed many parts of the world. In 1988, Anne and Butch built their dream home in Lebanon TN on a beautiful farm property which she and Butch designed on graph paper. They had many cattle roundups and hosted Thanksgiving dinners, Halloween hayrides, bonfires, and enjoyed hosting friends from all over.

Anne was preceded in death by her husband Lewis Chapman Gillett Jr., parents Frances and Lester Reeves and her sister Margie Wilkinson. 

Anne is survived by children: Linda Anne (David) Katz, Donna Marie (Kevin) Kraebel, and

Lewis Chapman (Margie) Gillett IV; grandchildren: Ben Katz, Emma Katz, Abby Katz, Hannah Kraebel, Drew Kraebel, and Daniel Kraebel, Nick Gillett, Jimmy (Ariel) Dirienzo, Katy (Zach) Mossman; siblings: Pauline Foltz and John (Donna) Reeves; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law: Jane Hinckley, Judith Keefe, Carol VerSchure and Rosanne and Robert Gillett: nephew Eugene Karner, as well as numerous additional nieces and nephews; close friends: Sarah and George Warde and family, and Sherry and William Davis; and her sweet boxer Austin who did not leave her side. 

Visitation will take place at Sellars Funeral Home in Lebanon, TN on Tuesday, July 5th from 1:00pm to 2:00pm. The Celebration of Life will follow at 2:00pm in the Chapel of Sellars.  Anne will be laid to rest with her husband at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please make Memorial Donations to Middle Tennessee Boxer Rescue (330 Franklin Rd Ste 135A-192, Franklin TN, 37027) and/or the Middle Tennessee Nurse Honor Guard (8746 Epperson Springs Rd, Westmoreland TN, 37186).