Gillian Tingley

            QUEENSBURY - Gillian R. Tingley passed away reluctantly on Wednesday at her home in Queensbury with her husband of 42 years by her side.

       Thirteen years after an ovarian cancer diagnosis, Gillian was still looking for the next adventure with her husband and son - their version of the Three Musketeers - as she refused to be defined by her illness, instead choosing to live each day to the fullest.

       Whether it was swimming under a waterfall in Hawaii, zip-lining down the mountain in Lake George, riding down a salt mine shaft in Austria, parasailing on her birthday with her son, Joseph, or experiencing the Blue Grotto in the smallest of boats on the island of Capri, Gillian would not be denied a full life.

       She insisted on being part of every trip, every adventure without reservation.

       She was a complicated and multi-faceted woman who found joy in the simplest of things: the first snowfall of the season, the smell of the pine needles when choosing a Christmas tree - it had to be live - and the joy of any puppy who crossed her path. In recent years she found kindred spirits at Dog Logic in Moreau.

            She was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, the second of Robert and Mavis Burgess's two children. Her parents immigrated to the United States from England and eventually moved to Long Island. Gillian graduated from Smithtown West High School in 1976 and followed her sister, Josephine, to the University Kentucky to major in forestry.

       She met her husband Ken at Berea College in Kentucky while interning with the National Forest Service. They took an instant dislike for each other. Gillian began dating Ken's best friend and Ken started dating her roommate, but eventually, the universe sorted out that minor complication and the pair were married in St. James, Long Island on Sept. 25, 1982.

       They moved from newspapers in Plattsburgh, N.Y. to Oneonta, N.Y. to Kingsport, Tenn. and eventually settled in Glens Falls after Ken was named sports editor of The Post-Star in 1988.

       Gillian took a job as a legal secretary in the Warren County District Attorney's office before being promoted to be the special assistant of the new district attorney, Sterling Goodspeed.

       "One of the most valued of my staff members was not an attorney but was my confidential assistant, Gillian Tingley," Goodspeed wrote on Facebook Wednesday.  "Gillian was smart, dedicated and hard working.  She was loyal to the office and the interests it served.  In time she also became my loyal friend and confidante. As a new young DA and new father, I could not have done it without her.

       "It is not an exaggeration to say that every grand jury indictment, felony plea and sentencing in eight years passed by Gillian's desk," Goodspeed wrote. "She was an incredible behind-the-scenes public servant who for eight years helped the criminal justice system work in the North Country."

       So the next district attorney fired her.

       Without a job and with a six-year-old at home, Gillian went back to school. She enrolled in SUNY Adirondack's nursing program and earned an Associate’s degree in Applied Science – Nursing, in 2004. She had found her calling.

       She was hired as a pediatric nurse at Albany Medical Center in August where she was often assigned as charge nurse, performing admissions and discharges for the 26-bed unit.

       In her spare time during the summer, she volunteered at Double H Hole in Woods Camp in Lake Luzerne. More recently she was on the Chapman Museum's holiday decorating committee with her husband Ken.

       It was during the Christmas holidays where she was at her absolute best. She did not just decorate for the holidays, her home was transformed into a magical land of Santas, elves, penguins and Christmas magic.

       Her world was rocked in 2011 when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer after returning home from a trip to France. When her Albany Medical Center insurance not accepted by the oncologist at Albany Medical Center, she employed the services of Dr. Gamal Elttabbakh at Fletcher Allen Hospital in Burlington, Vt. For six months, Gillian traveled the two hours each way for treatment - two weeks on, three off. She got these past13 years thanks to Dr. E's care.

       For the next four and half years, she was cancer free, but as is so often the case with this dreaded disease, it came back.

       But her determination to watch her only son grow up was stronger as she took on a second career as a cancer patient and beat the odds time and time again.

            When visiting a specialist in Buffalo several years ago, she was told they could not help her because they had never seen a cancer patient who had survived so much chemotherapy. It was unprecedented.

            She eventually left Albany Medical Center for Warren County Public Health to be closer to home. There she related to the elderly patients under her care. Many of them eventually became friends who regularly sought her advice, even after she retired from Warren County in 2021.           

       Her legacy is one of living every day to its fullest. For that, she is an inspiration.

       She saw Joseph not only graduate high school, but college and graduate school, too.

The trip to France right before her diagnosis was just the beginning. She visited Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, Scotland, Germany, Austria and anywhere Allegheny College had a swim meet. There were four or five trips to Hawaii as well and it became her favorite place on earth.

       Despite the adversity, she never for a second backed away from living her life.

            Just days after getting out of the hospital in June, the Three Musketeers gathered in Virginia for a series of historic site outings. She was weak, her appetite was fading but her sheer life force propelled her forward one last time.

            Left to cherish her memory are her husband, Ken Tingley of Queensbury, her son, Joseph R.E. Tingley of New Orleans, and her brother-in-law, David Tingley of Seymour, Conn.

            She was preceded on this final adventure by her parents, Robert and Mavis Burgess, and her big sister, Josephine Burgess.

       Also preceding her were her beloved dogs Sadie, Cassie, Xander, Murtagh, Poppy and Baxter.

       Special thanks to Lynn Keil, PA-C, for taking this 13-year journey with Gillian to the end. Her efforts and humanity will never be forgotten. Thanks also to Mary Murphy at Warren County Public Health, Gillian's friend and colleague, who helped her through her final days, and her good friend, Meg Hagerty, for always being there.

       Condolences can be made to the family and friends on Tuesday, August 27 from 6 to 7 p.m. at Brewer Funeral Home, 24 Church St. in Lake Luzerne.

             A candlelight memorial service will be held across the street at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 220 Lake Avenue, Lake Luzerne immediately following the visitation.

       In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Lake Luzerne.

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