Elizabeth Gawthrop Riely, formerly of West Chester

Elizabeth Gawthrop Riely of Brookline, MA, born in West Chester, PA to Elizabeth and Robert Gawthrop, Jr., 71 years old, died unexpectedly of a heart attack on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017 while vacationing in Sandwich, NH, with friends and family.

A culinary journalist and historian, Mrs. Riely wrote two books: The Chef’s Companion and A Feast of Fruits, and contributed hundreds of articles to the New Haven Register, Boston Globe, New York Times, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Gastronomica, and EdibleBoston. She edited the Radcliffe Culinary Times from 2000 to 2010 and was lately at work on a book on the cultural history of cod.

A lifelong singer, Mrs. Riely majored in music at Sweet Briar College and received a Masters in Music at New England Conservatory. Following 31 years of marriage to John Riely, which ended in divorce, she moved from Newton to Brookline in 2005. She joined the Boston Cecilia Chorus and served as co-president from 2012 to 2015.

She is loved, admired, and deeply missed by her two sons, Christopher, of Providence, RI and Andrew, of Worcester, MA; granddaughter, Sylvia Riely-Heilke, of Providence; sister, Emily Klarberg and brother-in-law, Richard, of Mamaroneck, NY; niece Margaret Kennedy, of Baltimore, Maryland; nephew Collis Klarberg, of New York, NY; and sister-inlaw, Celia Riely, of Dussac, France.

Her memorial service will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 11th, at All Saints Parish at 1733 Beacon St. in Brookline. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Sweet Briar College or the Boston Cecilia Chorus. The Cremation Society of NH is assisting the family with arrangements. To view a full obituary or leave a message of condolence please go to www.elizabethriely.org