Susan Gilbert Ford, 78 of Marion died peacefully on July 10, 2023, after a hard-fought battle against pancreatic cancer. She was the wife of Dr. Lincoln Edmond Ford who predeceased her in 2019.
Susan was born in Cuthbert, Georgia on June 2, 1945, to Marjorie Warner Gilbert and James Frank Gilbert, Jr. Life was beautiful for a couple of years until her parents ruined everything by producing one, then two, then three little sisters, each of whom she loved dearly.
A 1963 graduate of Blakely High School, Susan graduated summa cum laude from Presbyterian College and obtained her master’s and doctorate degrees in physiology at Emory University. She served on the faculties at Georgia State University and the medical schools at Morehouse College and at SUNY (State University of New York) in Stonybrook; held research positions at University of Massachusetts Medical School and at IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis); and conducted research supported by fellowships in London, Plymouth, and Brussels.
Susan was an avid reader of history, biography, natural history, and detective fiction, and a fierce bridge player. She was active in the Sippican Choral Society and the Sippican Woman’s Club for several years, and enjoyed skiing, horseback riding, gardening, and cooking. She was a highly talented knitter specializing in Aran sweaters, happily creating custom garments for friends and family members lucky enough to wander into her sweater zone.
Susan’s and Lincoln’s first loves—after each other—were the grandchildren and sailing. They enjoyed bare boat charters in the Caribbean most winters and eventually retired to Marion and joined the Beverly Yacht Club. In the summertime Susan raced regularly in the Ladies Thursday Afternoon Series at the helm of her classic H-12 Suzie Q.
Susan was predeceased by her husband and her parents. She is survived by her sisters Beverly (Seagrove Beach, FL), Phyllis (Columbus, GA), and Anne (Henrietta, NY), brother-in-law Lorentz Ottzen (Seagrove Beach, FL), and grandchildren Ilaria and Alec Stewart and Malcolm, Oliver, and Thomas Nelson. A cousin, Royce Calhoun (Cincinnati, OH) also held a special place in her heart.
Private arrangements are with the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Road, Rt. 6, Mattapoisett. In lieu of flowers, anyone wishing to honor Susan’s memory might consider a contribution to the ACLU, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Southern Poverty Law Center, or NARAL Pro-Choice America.