Abigail Twichell Gerhard

GERHARD Abigail Twichell Gerhard, age 81, died on Sunday, December 11, 2005. A devoted mother, caring friend, talented artist and a gracious lady, Abigail was known throughout Connecticut for her passionate advocacy on behalf of individuals with mental illness and their families. Born on July 19, 1924, Abigail and her three siblings grew up in numerous locations as part of an Army family. Her father was Col. Heath Twichell and her mother was Frances M. Twichell. Abigail earned a BA degree from Penn State University and she went on to work in the field of architecture in New York City. Abigail married William A. Gerhard with whom she had five daughters, Wynn, Delia, Leslie, Christina and Emily. According to her daughters, when they were children, their mother was always creating costumes and posters for their various activities and she took them to a summer camp in Connecticut where she served as head art counselor. After she earned her masters degree, Abigail became an art teacher in the Bridgeport Public Schools where she served for twenty years. Abigail brought her commitment to improving services for people with mental illness to the local level by joining the board of directors at Bridges...A Community Support System, Inc. (Milford Mental Health Clinic). She served as a member of the board for several years, taking on the challenge of presidency during that time. After retiring from the Bridges in 1999, she was awarded the agency1s annual "Bridge Builder" award in 2001. Criteria for the award are "extraordinary effort in promoting the objectives of the agency in regard to fighting the stigma of mental illness." She was also awarded Milford1s Living Treasure award. A tireless worker, Abigail was an active member of the Catchment Area Council 6 (Milford) and the Region II Mental Health Board from 1987 to the present. She was its president from 1993 to 1995 and was serving as its secretary at the time of her death. She was a member of the Connecticut State Board of Mental Health and Addiction services from 1992 to 1996 and an active volunteer at Connecticut Valley Hospital for many years. In the early 1980s, Abigail was a founding member and officer of the New Haven Area Support Group that would become National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI). She served as its legislative chairperson for many years and was the first and most active volunteer for NAMI's family to family education program trainers. Cathey Ferry, regional mental health board II executive director called Abigail "Indefatigable and irreplaceable." Further she said that Abigail was, "Always willing to go the extra mile, give a consumer a ride to a meeting, give someone a relevant article, attend one more meeting, speak to legislatures, testify at a hearing or write a letter to the newspaper to dispel stigma and to advocate for needed services. One of the first in Connecticut to speak up about the struggles, needs and hopes of individuals and families living with mental illness, she was still active and fighting by telephone from her sick bed." Abigail is survived by three siblings, Janet Singley, Ruth Cochrane and Heath Twichell Jr.; four daughters, Wynn and her husband, Steve, Della and husband, Phil, Leslie Harmon and husband, Bob and Emily. She was beloved by grandchildren, Anthony, Madison, Olivia and Joshua; and by several nieces and nephews. The family requests that donations, in Abigail1s memory, be made to Bridges...A Community Support System, Inc., 949 Bridgeport Avenue, Milford, CT 06460. Friends are invited to attend a memorial service on Sunday, January 29, 2006 at 1:30 p.m. in the Savin Rock Conference Center, 6 Rock Street, West Haven. The Gregory F. Doyle Funeral Home, 291 Bridgeport Avenue, Milford, is in charge of arrangements.