Ann Chesnut Galt

1934 - 2025

Ann Chesnut Galt, 91, of Pittsfield, MA died peacefully at home on Thursday, October 16 after a brief illness, surrounded by her loving husband John and her children and grandchildren. Born in Glendale, NJ, on April 7, 1934, daughter of the late Roy William and Florence Parmley Chesnut, she graduated from Montclair High School with the class of 1952. While in Montclair, she was very active in the Girl Scouts, eventually earning a place in their Anglo-American exchange program, spending a summer with the Scottish and Irish Girl Guides in the British Isles.

Ann earned a degree in chemistry from Wellesley College, graduating with the class of 1956. She married John in 1957 and taught physics and chemistry at the Windsor School in Boston while John finished his last two years at medical school.

After 4 years in Cincinnati for John's hospital training for ophthalmology they moved to the Loire Valley in France with their two young children for John's two-year tour of duty with the US Army Medical Corps. While there, Ann made many good French friends, became fluent in French, and visited most of the chateaux in the Loire Valley with John on his Wednesday afternoons off. Their third child arrived just before their departure from France.

Returning to Pittsfield in 1966, Ann immediately immersed herself in volunteer activities with the Medical Wives Auxiliary, United Way, PTA/PTO and Hancock Shaker Village. At First Congregational Church, she helped the treasurer for several years, then took over Treasurer duties for 20 years, eventually installing their first computerized bookkeeping system. As John's ophthalmology practice grew, she took over much of the back-office work and became a life-long friend, mentor and second mother to the office employees who preferred to be called "The Girls". From 1987-1998, Ann and John were involved in over a dozen ophthalmological mission trips to Ecuador and the Dominican Republic with Medical Missions International.

Before moving into the house in which they have lived for the last 59 years, the Galts briefly rented one of the three apartments in the Mountain House, above the South Mountain Concert Hall, from Sally Willeke, director of the South Mountain Association. Thus began Ann's many decades of dedication to stewardship of the property and to the annual fall series of Sunday afternoon chamber music concerts. Ann joined their board of directors in 1983, serving over 20 years as its president and over 5 years as its treasurer. During Ann's presidency, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York City gave an award to South Mountain Association for Extraordinary Service to Chamber Music at Alice Tully Hall on Oct 18, 2016.

Ann was an avid birdwatcher and enjoyed watching the birds at her many backyard bird feeders - when not fending off squirrels and bears. Her sports passion was paddle sports. She played paddle tennis for many years and gave up regular tennis a few years ago in favor of pickleball which she played until this past June. Whenever possible, Ann loved to be in a lake, river, or ocean (snorkeling if possible).

Ann is survived by John, her beloved husband of 68 years, her daughter Joyce McCarron (Matthew), her sons George (Kristen Truitt) and David (Susan Masino), her grandchildren Ryan, Keenan, Katie, Bailey, Jack, and Ian, her great-grandchildren Juliette Jayne and Aubrey Ann, and many nieces and nephews.

Ann was a loving, patient wife and mother, a compassionate, generous, and trusted friend and a gift to this world. She will be greatly missed by family, friends and anyone who has had the pleasure of meeting her. Besides her parents, she was predeceased by her brothers, Bill and Walt.

Funeral Notice:

Funeral services for Ann will be Saturday, October 25, at 11AM at the United Church of Christ, Pittsfield, 110 South Street, Pittsfield MA 01201. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations in Ann's memory can be made to Hancock Shaker Village, South Mountain Association, or https://www.restore.org/savemassforests (Save Massachusetts Forests). Please visit www.dwyerfuneral.com to leave condolences and remembrances.