Yep...did that once for high school and college. At the interview they asked for dates and to explain gaps in employment history. So you either end up lying about dates and gaps or date yourself and show you're "overqualified" or whatever the BS excuse is for not wanting to hire experienced people.
I haven't looked at my resume for two years. I had to make a choice between going back to school to get a better job, or trying to find a job while the kids where in school.
What I can do is list being a court appointed conservator. It's already on there, and also figure out a way to list executrix. That covers the gaps, without going into detail.
Speaking of "overqualified", check out the Monster.com message boards. It is scary. I read a post by someone who was a manager making a good salary. His position was eliminated. He couldn't relocate because of his kids, or something. He couldn't even find a job flipping burgers. This was 3 years ago, so I don't remember all the fine points of his post.