Sandra “Sandy” C. Gilheeney, RN, 78, formerly of Betsy Williams Circle, Johnston, passed away Thursday, August 1, 2024 at Sunrise of Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, NY. She was the widow of Capt. William “Bill” G. Gilheeney, Ret. USA.
Born in Providence, she was the daughter of the late Bronislaw and Agnes M. (Lawton) Szczepanek. She had lived in Johnston, RI for much of her life before moving to Brooklyn, NY.
Sandra received her RN from the Roger Williams School of Nursing in 1967. In her 50 years as a nurse, she worked in multiple settings – starting out her career in medical/surgical nursing at Roger Williams General Hospital in Providence, continuing at skilled nursing facilities while raising her children, and later as a psychiatric nurse/case manager at Mental Health Services in Johnston and at the Harmony Hill School in Chepachet. It was there where she became a very active member of the Red Hat Society for many years. Sandy was also an incredibly active alumna for her nursing school, always proud of her classmates and even more proud to let people know she was a nurse.
Sandy was a profound animal lover, rescuing and adopting many dogs and cats over the years, regularly supporting the Rhode Island Chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. She was a prolific reader, ever expanding her book collection, having read every one. She also loved flowers and plants, and friends and family will remember her working with her family to decorate her home and yard. Holiday parties that Sandy and Bill organized at their home will be long remembered and sorely missed.
She was the mother of Stephen W. Gilheeney, MD, MMS of Brooklyn, NY and his partner, George J. Hamboussi, Jr. and the late Melissa Anne Gilheeney, MS, CCC-SLP. She was the sister of the late Wayne W. Szczepanek. She was the sister-in-law of Charlene (Malone) Szczepanek.
Her funeral will be held Monday, August 12, 2024 at 9am from the Anderson-Winfield Funeral Home, Rt 44 at Greenville Common, Greenville. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10am in St. Philip Church, 622 Putnam Pike, Greenville. Burial will be private. Visitation, Sunday, August 11, 2024 from 4-7pm. Flowers are welcomed, as Sandy loved them. Those looking to make a donation in her memory are kindly directed to the RI SPCA.
RI SPCA