Gwen and Wally Sellers

Gwen Gallagher Sellers was a woman ahead of her time. Born in the 1920s, in an era when women were typically not expected, or allowed, to attend college, Gwen earned a master’s degree in education from Columbia University. She married the love of her life, Wally Sellers, and had a career as an educator in New York City. Wally and Gwen lived busy, rewarding lives filled with professional success, close family ties, enriching travel, volunteer work, and enjoyment of cultural activities such as the opera and theater.

Gwen was quiet about her Crohn’s disease. It wasn’t until Gwen’s nephew, Mike Gallagher, took over as her caregiver on Wally’s passing that he learned she was a patient. Indeed, Gwen and Wally were private people, who were committed to making a positive difference for others. Serving the community as a volunteer librarian after her retirement, Gwen never let her disease slow her down. Mike, whom Wally had asked to serve as executor of his estate, shared that during her lifetime, Gwen had received many letters from grateful parents, students, and teachers—individuals whose lives she touched through her guidance, support, and mentorship.

Wally and Gwen wanted to leave a legacy that would have an impact on organizations that had great personal meaning to them—one of which was the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. As Mike shares, “Wally and Gwen felt strongly about wanting to make a difference, to do things that would be good for other people.”

With their generous bequest to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, Gwen and Wally will have a lasting impact on individuals living with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

If you’d like to join Gwen and Wally in their commitment to the Foundation, we would be glad to help you plan a gift that fits your needs. Please contact Susan Carriker at 252-597-5085 or scarriker@crohnscolitisfoundation.org to begin your conversation.