Kate Gluckin, 70, a longtime resident of Wilton and active member of the community, passed away on Saturday, Dec. 3. She will be remembered as a vibrant and energetic woman with many interests.
Kate was an avid gardener who impressed many with her beautiful flower garden at her former home in Wilton. She contributed her deep interest in colonial American history to the Wilton Historical Society, where she served on the board for a period of years. She was a docent at Ridgefield’s Keeler Tavern, where she delighted in wearing authentic costumes that she made herself, as she told visitors the story of this important colonial stagecoach stop. She worked closely with Ambler Farm to develop an educational program for elementary school students that gave them a chance for hands-on exploration of the many facets of life on a Connecticut farm in the 1700s. She was also a fixture at Ambler Farm Day, where she enthralled young and old alike with demonstrations of turning flax into cloth. More recently, after moving to Charlottesville, VA, in 2020, Kate became a historical interpreter at Montpelier, home of James Madison, the nation’s fourth president.
Kate is survived by her husband Neil, son Will in Berlin, Germany, daughter Emily in Missoula, MT and twin sister Sarah in Clermont, FL.
I worked with Kate at Montpelier and can say that all her colleagues here were shocked and diminished by the recent news of Kate’s sudden illness and untimely passing. Kate was always cheerful and willing, and one who kept going deeper and deeper to learn more about James Madison and his world. I wish I’d had more time to get to know her, as she clearly had more dimensions to her life than we knew.
She will be missed…