Kirsten Herreshoff

Kirsten Herreshoff of Bristol passed away on Oct. 31, 2011 at her home in Bristol as a result of many illnesses.
Kirsten was born in Mount Holly, N.J., where she attended the local schools. Summers were spent in Bristol with her paternal grandparents, A. Sidney DeW Herreshoff and Rebecca C. Herreshoff, her sister, Heidi Herreshoff and brothers, Halsey C. Herreshoff II and Karl F. Herreshoff. She especially enjoyed sailing with her grandparents and her uncle, Halsey C. Herreshoff.
Upon leaving school she worked as a display assistant for John Wanamaker department store in Moorestown, N.J., and then pursued courses in photography. After a traumatic accident that resulted in the death of her best friend, she moved to Massachusetts to live with cousins, Dan and Jan Boynton. Subsequently she moved back to Bristol where she studied at Johnson & Wales Culinary Institute and worked as a cook in local restaurants until her marriage to Brent Gilbert and the birth of their son, Sidney V Gilbert. Eventually she and her cousin, Natalie Herreshoff opened a consignment shop, Closet Classics, in Bristol, and later she managed the gift shop in the Herreshoff Marine Museum.
Kirsten struggled with and battled the trauma of the accident that claimed her friend. She valued her friends and appreciated their love and efforts to help her throughout the development of a worsening disease for which she was often hospitalized and treated. Her special interest and expertise as a cook and photographer and as a lover of interior design and gardening were enjoyed and shared with friends and family.
Kirsten is survived by her father, Nathanael G. Herreshoff III, and his wife Mary Herreshoff; as well as her mother, M. Kay Herreshoff; her brothers, Karl and Halsey (and wife Mary); her dear uncle, Halsey; and beloved son, Sidney Gilbert; as well as former husband, Brent Gilbert. Heidi Herreshoff, her sister, predeceased her, as did her paternal grandparents, Sid and Becky Herreshoff, and maternal grandparents, Alfred and Marie Olson, and uncle, Warren Olson.
She will be remembered for her ongoing courageous spirit as well as her many gifts and keen sense of humor.
A funeral service will be held Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2011 at St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Bristol, the site of her christening as an infant. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the Bristol Ambulance Services, P.O. Box 775, Bristol RI 02809.