Wynne Jillson Abrams, 69, Died; “Her sense of humor and laugh remain with us.”

Wynne Jillson Abrams died April 7th 2022 at home after a courageous battle with cancer. She is survived by her husband Randy of Westport and daughter, Maddie Abrams of Bridgeport.

Born on February 4th 1953 in Port Chester, NY she attended Princeton, NJ schools, graduating from Smith College in 1974. She joined Morgan Stanley’s Merger & Acquisitions Group as an analyst led by legendary investment banker Robert Greenhill. This led to her decision to pursue an MBA at Stanford University, awarded in 1978. Morgan Guaranty Trust Co. offered her a job in the Oil and Gas Group. Following her tour there, she was one of the first women assigned to the International Financial Management group, a high-profile department that provided access to the international capital markets and developed sophisticated financial products for the bank’s clients. There she worked with the top American corporations such as Ford, Mobil and Chrysler. With the fall of the Glass-Steagall Act and investment banking restrictions, Wynne was then tasked with setting up the bank’s US domestic debt underwriting operations. In her final assignment, she worked in a newly formed group, Global Risk Assessment, traveling to JP Morgan offices worldwide to create an integrated reporting system that gave management its first real time overview of its global risk exposures.

Wynne decided in 1992 to devote herself to raising Maddie and by 1996 found herself in Westport. At Christ and Holy Trinity Church she found a community which fitted her views and outlook. She started teaching in its Sunday School which led to heading the program and later leading CHT’s Youth Ministry. A strong believer in the role of community in Westport, she found the Westport Woman’s Club an ideal vehicle to accomplish this. She was a strong capable Board Officer serving most recently as Financial Vice President and chair of the Investment and Finance Committees. As a longtime member of the Yankee Doodle Fair management team, she enjoyed applying her financial skills and keen eye for cost control to optimize the success of WWC’s signature annual fundraiser.

Wynne loved her large extended family - her mother, step mother, three sisters, cousins, nieces and nephews and their families and so enjoyed the marvelous trips and vacations they took together.  With many friends across multiple venues – bridge groups, the WWC, Bible study – and much community service from social justice to homelessness. Wynne was loving and supportive with everyone she knew, getting the job done, effectively, quietly and with no ego.  Her sense of humor and laugh remain with us.  She will be missed.

There will be a memorial service for her at Christ and Holy Trinity Church on April 19th at 1100. In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be sent to the Westport Woman’s Club 44 Imperial Avenue Westport, Ct 06880 in her name.