Gabrielle Wicklow, obituary
CAMDEN — Gabrielle Wicklow, 78, beloved wife of Joseph F. Wicklow, of Camden, died on April 2, 2026 at the Sussman House in Rockport. Born in New York, New York, she was the daughter of Neal and Helen (Nicastri) Maffei.
Gaby received a B.S. in Health Education from Jersey City State College in New Jersey; and her Registered Nursing degree from Kings County Hospital School of Nursing. In 1972, she married Joseph Wicklow and they shared nearly 54 years of marriage. Joe was the love of her life.
Gaby worked for many years as a nurse in New York City and Boston (pediatric infectious diseases), Stirling, New Jersey (school nurse) and local Maine communities. She loved providing care for her patients, especially children and the elderly. Her deep and unwavering religious faith was her guide in all things. Gaby was an active communicant at Our Lady of Good Hope Catholic Church in Camden serving as the Parish Nurse and was a member of the Women’s Club. She was small in stature but was determined and fiercely brave. At ages 70 and 74, she walked the 500-mile Camino de Santiago across France and northern Spain.
At the Camden-Rockport Historical Society, Gaby, as a Master Gardener, designed and maintained the Conway Homestead historical herb garden. Gaby was a skilled and creative rug hooker who also shared her talent with the public teaching classes at Searsport Rug Hooking Punta Gorda, Florida, the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, and through Adult Education at Camden Hills Regional High School. Gaby hosted a local group of talented artisan women in her home every month and valued their friendship tremendously.
Gaby was a talented singer and spent nearly twenty years performing with the Mid-coast Community Chorus in Rockport.
Gaby was known as a woman who “gets things done” and was a source of inspiration for many people. She was happiest in her beautiful gardens, cooking wonderful Italian meals in her kitchen, reading a good book, and spending time with her beloved family, friends, and her late Wheaten Terrier, Fiona.
Surviving is her beloved husband, Joseph F. Wicklow; three children, Anne Wicklow Nigrini and her husband Jay, of Pennsylvania, John P. Wicklow of New Jersey, Thomas M. Wicklow of New Jersey; seven grandchildren, Madeline Nigrini, Isabel Nigrini, Liam Wicklow, Morgan Wicklow, Devin Wicklow, Caitlin Wicklow, and Kieran Wicklow; two brothers, Neal Maffei and his wife Jean-Marie, of New York, and Dennis Maffei and his wife Rosemary, of Washington, DC; two sisters-in-law, Deirdre McMahon and Sheila Wicklow; and numerous nieces and nephews whom she adored.
The funeral mass followed by a reception held Saturday, April 18, 2026, at 11 a.m., at Our Lady of Good Hope Catholic Church, 7 Union Street, Camden. Attendees are asked to wear brightly-colored clothing to represent the vivid colors of Gaby’s flower gardens.
Memorial gifts may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital www.stjude.org, or P.A.W.S. Animal Adoption Center in Camden www.pawscares.org.
Condolences and memories may be shared at www.longfuneralhomecamden.com. Arrangements are with the Long Funeral Home, 9 Mountain Street, Camden.
A second service and her burial will take place in Mendham, New Jersey at a later date.
