Rochester, NY- On December 18, 2019, after a brief illness, Yvonne passed peacefully and without pain into life everlasting.
Born September 1, 1946, Yvonne is predeceased by her parents Victoria (Siewic) and Robert Gilman and is survived by her husband of 45 years Gene, children Jennifer (Aaron) and Robert (Angela), and grandchildren Breanna, Brayden, Aiden, Tristan and Sadie. Also surviving is her brother Richard (Susan), nieces Christel (Robert) and Enny Joy and a multitude of close friends, cousins, aunts and uncles.
Known for her beautiful handmade crafts and extraordinarily careful attention to detail, if you lived near Wayland, chances are you probably had (or have) at least one of these items purchased from her booth at local festivals. She spent hours making sure the last detail was just right before sending her creations off to be loved by others. Her attention to detail spanned even to decorating the house for Halloween and Christmas (her 2 favorite holidays), along with making sure her home was warm, cozy and inviting. Yvonne had a warm heart and welcomed anyone and everyone to her table for much laughter and storytelling (sometimes even for an exciting card game or 2!). She loved to host people and often plied them with homecooked meals and treats. She opened her house for several years to children involved in the “Fresh Air Fund”, as well as hosted several baseball players.
Yvonne took special pride in watching over her children, their friends and her grandchildren. She took immense joy over their accomplishments cheering them on during their various extracurricular activities and then later cheering for her grandchildren. As her children grew into adults, she cried tears of happiness and joy as they graduated from high school, college (Jennifer) and the NYS Corrections Academy (Robert). She was so proud those days, the days they both married their chosen mates and the arrival of grandchildren. She also loved her animals, be it a dog, cat, guinea pig, rabbit, fish or duck. She loved walking in the brisk fall weather surrounded by the vibrantly changing colors. She loved rocking on her chair swing in the cool summer nights and sitting by the fireplace during the cold winter months. Mostly, she loved life and wanted everyone else to enjoy life too.
A memorial service is being planned, and donations can be made in her name to Hornell Area Humane Society located at 7649 Industrial Park Road, Hornell, NY 14843 ( https://www.hornellanimalshelter.org/index.html ).