Grace Ann Filliman

Grace Ann Filliman, 93, of Harwich passed away at home, in her sleep on May 23, 2025 of congestive heart failure. A beloved mother, grandmother, aunt, cousin, wife and friend, Grace will be remembered for her kindness, generosity and creativity, and for her work helping veterans and active servicemen and their families.

Born on November 15, 1931 in Garfield, NJ, Grace grew up the only daughter of John and Anna (Sabol) Dolack, and big sister to two brothers, David and Robert. She graduated from Garfield High School in 1949, married Richard J. Filliman in 1953, and settled in Clifton, NJ.

As a young mother, she bought a simple sewing machine, took a class to learn how to make clothes for herself and her family, and taught all of her daughters how to sew. When her beloved Aunt Lil Sendak taught Grace and the girls about patchwork quilt-making, it became one of Grace's great passions. She was a member of the Bayberry Quilters Guild of Cape Cod for almost 30 years. She started and supervised The Quilt Bank, a committee of the Guild, which operated out of Grace's home and the Harwich Community Center, creating and donating up to 500 quilts per year to a variety of individuals and charitable organizations.

Grace's family moved from Riverdale, NJ to Wellfleet in 1965 when they bought a small cottage colony called Holtberg's Cottages and began a business that became The Even'tide Motel and Cottages. She worked in this business for 35 years, becoming an avid flower gardener. Her affiliations with a variety of churches and craft and sewing groups helped her develop many deep friendships, starting in the 1960's, when she helped create a women's prayer group at the home of her neighbor Dorothy Thimas. This group helped to support many women through their lives' hard times and blessings, and to grow in their walk with Jesus. Grace was most recently a member of Grace Church in E. Dennis.

She loved spending some wintertime in the Florida Keys during the 1990's, cooking, boating, sunbathing, yard sale shopping and decorating their rental house on Marathon Key. She and Richard welcomed many friends, and made new friends there, and always found excuses to stay a little longer than planned when it was time to return to Cape Cod in the spring. She moved to Harwich in 1999, a year after Richard passed away and added many new wonderful friends to her life.

Grace is survived by four daughters: Lisa Audette and her husband Armand of Harwich; Robyn Filliman of Webster, NH; Valerie Graves of Ellington, FL; Judith Filliman Tesson and her husband Fred of Wellfleet. She is also survived by four grandchildren, Katherine and Lauren Audette, Lillian Filliman and Abigail Tesson, and five great-grandchildren, Jessica and Bridgette Tesson; and Lilli, Gracie and Eli Tesson and their mother Sadie Ziemba. She was predeceased by her husband Richard and her grandson Edward Tesson.

A Visitation Hour will be held on Friday, June 13, 2025, from 12:00-1:00 p.m. at Nickerson Funeral Home, 77 Eldredge Park Way, Orleans, with a Celebration of Life Service immediately following.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Grace's memory may be made to Cape Cod Cares 4 the Troops, a charity close to Grace's heart, 1831 Long Pond Rd., Brewster MA 02631. For online condolences, please visit www.nickersonfunerals.com