Gertrude Schley

SHARON - Gertrude Schley, 97, of New York City and Sharon died peacefully at home on Jan. 14, 2008. She had resided at her Connecticut home since 1928.

Miss Schley as born in Far Hills, N.J., on May 2, 1910, the younger daughter of the late Jane (Seney) and Grant Barney Schley. She was a graduate of the Nightingale-Bamford School, class of 1927. She served as president of the Alumni Board and then as trustee.

During World War II, Miss Schley put in long hours at Sharon Hospital, where she worked as a nurse's aide in support of a medical staff that had been depleted due to wartime needs for military doctors. After the war she continued her hospital work (she was honored in 1977 for longevity of service), while finding time to volunteer with the local Girl Scouts for 10 years.

Miss Schley was a passionate equestrian. She frequently took part in riding and driving events locally and throughout the East. She was a member of the Green Mountain Horse Association and from 1948 to 1950 she competed successfully in the grueling 100-mile endurance ride sponsored by the association in southern Vermont. She was the proud owner of three prize-winning Morgan horses. The trophy cases in the stable were filled with ribbons. She never met a horse who didnt like her.

Always a lover of the country, and a lover of animals large and small, Miss Schley volunteered throughout the 1980's and 1990's at the Little Guild of St. Francis in West Cornwall, an organization devoted to finding good homes for discarded dogs and cats. She never met a dog who didn't like her.

Miss Schley was a longtime member of The Colony Club of New York, until her resignation in 2006 for health reasons.

An Episcopalian by birth, she worshiped at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin and the Church of the Transfiguration in New York City before moving to Christ Church, Sharon, where she was active as a lay reader, sang in the choir, and served on the vestry.

Miss Schley was preceded in death by her parents and an older sister, Jane Schley Clark of New York and Sharon, who died in 1963.

She is survived by many friends and acquaintances and by her nephew, The Rev. Walter D. Clark and his wife, Sarah Locke Clark, of Maurertown, Va.; two great-nephews, Stephen Seney Clark and his wife, Lisa, of Corpus Christi, Texas, and Benjamin Locke Clark and his wife, Kimberly, of Rockport, Texas; and a great-grandniece, Jae Cameron Clark, also of Rockport.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made either to Christ Church Episcopal, PO Box 1778, Sharon, CT 06069 or The Nightingale-Bamford School, 20 East 92nd St., New York, NY 10128.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, Jan. 19, at 10:30 a.m. at Christ Church Episcopal, South Main Street, Sharon. Burial will be in the spring.

The Kenny Funeral Home in Sharon has charge of the arrangements.

"Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord... for they rest from their labors.