NORWICH – Alice H. Beckwith, 72, of Norwich, passed away Tuesday evening, Sept. 29, 2009, at her home after a lengthy illness.
Born in North Norwich in July of 1937, Alice was the daughter of Jay and Gaynel Ingham Bates. She attended grade school in North Norwich and finished her high school years in Sherburne. On June 29, 1957, she and Perle Beckwith were married and took up residence in Norwich. Over her years, Alice worked for several employers, including the Norwich Shoe Company and the Crescent Corset Factory. Her longest and most interesting employment was 20-plus years with the Chenango County Dept. of Social Services, where she wore many different hats and handled many different duties, including welfare examiner, child welfare, HEAP, and the nutrition program, where she would travel to homes and teach people how to cook. Alice, herself, was a good cook who also enjoyed doing arts and crafts, especially plastic canvas, and loved to square dance at Loomis Hay Loft. Alice and her family were avid campers, spending as much time as they could “up north” in the woods. She was a caring and loving mother who took great pride in her grandchildren, and it was common during her camping days to find the children of other campers hanging about and joining in with the Beckwith clan.
Alice is survived by her husband of 52 years, Perle Beckwith of Norwich; her children and their spouses: Peggy and Gadiel Serrano of Clinton, Mass., Bradley and Donna Beckwith of Groton, Conn., Leslie and Loretta Beckwith of Norwich, and Vicky Mullenax of Norwich; and by her grandchildren: James Corey IV, Matthew Mullenax, and Michael and Kaylee Beckwith. Also surviving are her sisters and brother: Georgia Brown, Flora Pollack, and Dora Bates, all of Norwich, and Bradley Bates and wife Marjorie of Sherburne. Alice was predeceased by her sisters Lucille Cole, Emily Toopes, and Carol Pollack, and brothers Robert, Lawrence, and Byron Bates.
Memorial services for Alice will be held at 10 a.m. Friday from the R.J. Fahy Funeral Home. The Rev. Jeremy Stopford, pastor of the Earlville Baptist Church, will officiate. There will be no calling hours.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to a charity of your choice, in memory of Alice Beckwith.