Obituary of Nancy Brown Bedell

Nancy Bywater Brown Bedell Dies at 87; Wife, Mother, Dear Friend, Avid Gardener, Dedicated Volunteer Nancy Bedell, who lived in Elmira for the last 56 years, died quietly on Tuesday, January 7, 2014 at The Chemung County Nursing Facility. As a young girl in Vineland, NJ, Nancy met and fell in love with John Bedell. Nancy and John Bedell, a longtime educator in Elmira, were married for 45 years until his death in 1990. As a teenager, Nancy dreamed of being an actress. Dressed in horseback riding habits, she and her best friend Flo Prince ran away to Hollywood together. They were returned to their families after a night spent safely in jail in nearby Camden. While attending high school in Fairmont West Virginia, Nancy was active in the drama group "Mask and Gavel", began her life-long obsession with the game of Bridge and took first prize in a Statewide debate competition sponsored by the American Legion, winning a full college scholarship. World War II interrupted her education and she and Jack were married in 1945. The couple settled in Elmira in the late 1950's, raising six children here. Nancy was a devout member of Grace Episcopal Church and a dedicated volunteer in the Church community. Nancy was also active in Meals on Wheels for many years, loved the intellectual challenge of The Wednesday Morning Club, and spent endless hours in her beloved gardens. Nancy was passionate about nature and imparted that love to her children. Whether she was gathering wildflower May Day baskets, leading foraging expeditions into the woods for fiddlehead ferns, reveling in the joys of swimming in the ocean, or taking her grandchildren camping, her enthusiasm for the world around her was always contagious. Her niece, Mary K Cambron of Ohio wrote, "I loved (Aunt Nancy) for the way she described life in superlatives and taught me to as well." Nancy is survived by her six children: Joseph Bedell and his wife Diane of Palmyra, NY, their 3 children, Joh, Jasin and Sarah, and 2 granddaughters, John R. Bedell and his wife Arlinda Lopes of the Azores; Daphne Everett, and her husband Robbie of Pound Ridge, NY and their 3 children Alex, Kathryn and Charlie, Sarah Bedell and her husband Gerhard Maier of New York City, Liza Brasini, her husband Michael and their son Alessandro of South Salem, NY, and Mary Damson and her husband Reed of Stuart, Florida. A sister, Sally Hamilton, and a brother, Horace "Bill" Brown, predeceased Nancy. She is survived by her sister Mary Thorn of Cambridge, Ohio, several nieces and nephews and her dear friend Rita Labate of Hopewell Junction, NY. The funeral service, Sung Requiem Mass, will be held Saturday, January 11, 2014 at 11:00 AM at Grace Episcopal Church, 375 West Church Street, Elmira. Flowers will be provided by the family. Memorial contributions may be made to Meals on Wheels of Chemung County and Grace Episcopal Church in Nancy's memory.