Obituary for Sandra Winsor Emler
Sandra Winsor Emler, age 75, of Duxbury Village, died peacefully at home after a courageous
fight with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, virtually surrounded by her family and friends. Sandy
was married to John Michael Emler for over 56 years. She is also survived by her daughter Dr.
Anne Christine Emler, son-in-law Dr. Brian Bornstein and their two daughters, Lillian and
Melissa Bornstein of Durham, NC; son Thomas Merrill Emler and his wife, Celeste Lincourt
Emler, and their two children, Chloe and Noah Emler of Moretown, VT; daughter Katherine
Emler Walsh and her husband, Patrick William Walsh, of Hull, MA; and son John Michael Emler,
Jr. and his wife, Debra Goeschel, of Randolph, MA. Sandy was born September 12, 1944 on
Staten Island, NY, daughter of Robert Livingston Winsor and Inglis MacLennan Winsor. Raised
in Winston Salem, NC, and Chatham, NJ, Sandy graduated from Cornell University in 1966.
Remarkably — or not, if you knew her — she graduated on time, with honors, in four years,
while juggling her studies with her responsibilities as a mother of two young children.
Sandy was active in Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO), a women’s organization
formed in 1963 to support women’s educational goals, and served as the Massachusetts State
President in 2001. Sandy was deeply involved with her church, serving on various committees
and on the vestry at several different churches as they moved from town to town throughout
New England. Sandy and her family spent the better part of the last 50 years in Hingham,
before she and John retired to the Village at Duxbury.
She enjoyed reading, quilting, knitting, and needlepoint after her official retirement from an
alterations and sewing business she ran from her home for more than 20 years. Numerous
friends and family members cherish the quilts and needlepoints she made for them over the
years, as well as her many gifts of books. She and John loved to travel, especially trips to the
beach with kids and grandkids, and sailing with friends and family on their sailboat, Windchime
— she loved listening to Red Sox games on the radio while out on the water. Never one to
stagnate, she reveled in exploring the different experiences, backgrounds, and faiths of the
various people she encountered. In recent years, she returned to her love of writing and shared
her talent through the Village at Duxbury creative writing and drama groups. With a twinkle in
her eye, she brought a positive outlook, thirst for knowledge, kindness, and a generous spirit to
life that will be missed by all who met her.
A Celebration of Life service will be held to honor Sandy when it is safe to gather at St.
Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Cohasset. Interment of the ashes will follow the service in the
Memorial Garden. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made either to the PEO Foundation,
3700 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50312 or to the ILD Collaborative either online or care of
Pulmonary Care and Research Collaborative, Ltd., P.O. Box 300160, Boston, MA 02130.
fight with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, virtually surrounded by her family and friends. Sandy
was married to John Michael Emler for over 56 years. She is also survived by her daughter Dr.
Anne Christine Emler, son-in-law Dr. Brian Bornstein and their two daughters, Lillian and
Melissa Bornstein of Durham, NC; son Thomas Merrill Emler and his wife, Celeste Lincourt
Emler, and their two children, Chloe and Noah Emler of Moretown, VT; daughter Katherine
Emler Walsh and her husband, Patrick William Walsh, of Hull, MA; and son John Michael Emler,
Jr. and his wife, Debra Goeschel, of Randolph, MA. Sandy was born September 12, 1944 on
Staten Island, NY, daughter of Robert Livingston Winsor and Inglis MacLennan Winsor. Raised
in Winston Salem, NC, and Chatham, NJ, Sandy graduated from Cornell University in 1966.
Remarkably — or not, if you knew her — she graduated on time, with honors, in four years,
while juggling her studies with her responsibilities as a mother of two young children.
Sandy was active in Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO), a women’s organization
formed in 1963 to support women’s educational goals, and served as the Massachusetts State
President in 2001. Sandy was deeply involved with her church, serving on various committees
and on the vestry at several different churches as they moved from town to town throughout
New England. Sandy and her family spent the better part of the last 50 years in Hingham,
before she and John retired to the Village at Duxbury.
She enjoyed reading, quilting, knitting, and needlepoint after her official retirement from an
alterations and sewing business she ran from her home for more than 20 years. Numerous
friends and family members cherish the quilts and needlepoints she made for them over the
years, as well as her many gifts of books. She and John loved to travel, especially trips to the
beach with kids and grandkids, and sailing with friends and family on their sailboat, Windchime
— she loved listening to Red Sox games on the radio while out on the water. Never one to
stagnate, she reveled in exploring the different experiences, backgrounds, and faiths of the
various people she encountered. In recent years, she returned to her love of writing and shared
her talent through the Village at Duxbury creative writing and drama groups. With a twinkle in
her eye, she brought a positive outlook, thirst for knowledge, kindness, and a generous spirit to
life that will be missed by all who met her.
A Celebration of Life service will be held to honor Sandy when it is safe to gather at St.
Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Cohasset. Interment of the ashes will follow the service in the
Memorial Garden. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made either to the PEO Foundation,
3700 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50312 or to the ILD Collaborative either online or care of
Pulmonary Care and Research Collaborative, Ltd., P.O. Box 300160, Boston, MA 02130.