SACO- Patricia Ann Hobbs Bedell of Saco passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family, on June 25th. Born on July 29, 1934, in New York City, she grew up on a small farm in Saco with her parents Elmer and Estelle Hobbs and her two sisters, Barbara and Joanne. She graduated from Thornton Academy in 1951 and was married later that year to Ormand “OB” Bedell of Biddeford. They raised a family of 8 children in Saco, where she was the office manager in the family automobile dealership and worked full time there while raising her family with a very loving hand. Almost immediately after the sale of the family business, she was recruited by Chrysler Credit Corporation, where she worked until her retirement. Patricia was loved by her office peers who remain dear friends to the present day. She was proud of her career there.
She was adored by all her children, her 14 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren as well as everyone she met.
As busy as she always was, she found time to write poetry and short stories as well as writing and publishing a book called “The Stories of my Life” with much of her family history and her thoughts and impressions of growing up in the post-depression, post-World War II era.
She is predeceased by her husband Ormand, her parents Elmer and Estelle Hobbs, her sister Joanne Hobbs Jacacci, her son Brian, her daughter Wendy, her daughter Linda, grandson Joseph and her granddaughter Brie.
She is survived by her sons, Stephen (Sussanna) of Saco, David (Julie) of Dayton and Mark of Saco. She is also survived by her daughters Carol Braley (Chris) of Saco and daughter Debra Emmanuelle of Sedona, Arizona.
Her surviving grandchildren are Stephen Bedell of Rock Hill, South Carolina, Sheri Bedell Sastre of Saco, Scott Bedell of Saco, Danielle Honan of Newmarket, New Hampshire, Heather Richard of Bangor, Chori Braley of Saco, Christyna McCormack of Saco, Makayla Winchester of Windham, Adrienne Powers-Johnson of Saco, Chelsea Murphy of New Gloucester, Kristen Weiss of Columbia, Pennsylvania and Marshall Bedell of Desoto, Missouri.
Her surviving great grandchildren are Colby Bedell of Rock Hill, South Carolina, Abbigail and Noah Sastre of Saco, Dylan Bedell of Saco, Ella, Asa and Rian Blunt of Dresden, Rylee and Eli Honan of Newmarket, New Hampshire, Maewyn and Fae Johnson of Saco, Braley and Amelia McCormack of Saco, Charlotte and George Weiss of Columbia, Pennsylvania.
Patricia was fun loving. Every birthday was made special via card, cake and candles (always plus one to grow on), and/or a thought filled gift. The dates were stored in her ‘red book’, which she always kept very near to her. She had a way of making ‘our’ day special whether one year old or 73 years old.
Pat enjoyed opportunities to travel abroad; Switzerland, Germany, Paris, Canada, and especially the Bahamas, which gave her the precious gift of a lifetime of memories with family and lifelong friends.
She was the oldest of three and her sisters were very dear to her. She held tightly to the special bond they had. With creativity earned from both her parents, Pat was a writer and a lifelong singer. She sang with her sisters and made music that made us all sing louder and better. Pat was instrumental in the formation of a singing group called the Round Tuits, which consisted of a group of fellow “I will sing more when I get around to it" folks. They sang at local nursing homes and loved seeing the residents smile and sing along. She was very proud of being a part of that group.
Patricia loved new recipes. She was a good cook and an excellent baker. There are tools, pans and recipes in her kitchen right now that are close to 74 years old. We watched her fill the very same measuring cup as kids, that she used just a couple of weeks ago.
Patricia proudly filled her home with pictures of and artwork by her family, some of which are from the 1800’s. Her grandfather was an avid photographer leaving many glass plates of generations of family members.
Pat had little time for getaways with work and eight children, but she was in a state of sheer joy when we spent time at a camp on a lake in Brownfield that was always filled with children, family and friends. Those memories are cherished by all who were lucky enough be there.
Always a writer, she wrote a short story about her experience getting her driver’s license at the age of 32 (something she was very proud of!) and entered it into a writing contest through the Portland Press Herald. Her story was chosen to be printed in the newspaper.
Pat was simple to please and ‘never needed anything’. Thrifty and frugal, it was always the small things that made her happy - content. A little hand filled with a bunch of dandelions, a dinner with no spilled milk, a trip to see her parents at their farm in North Saco or winning a contest with a Boston radio station for the best lips in the 50’s that won her a small radio.
Every Christmas was so exciting that all eight of us looked forward to each one, as though it was our very first. Eight bags ‘hidden’ in her closet, each one unique to each of us, yet equal in number - that was important to her. Patricia was known to stay up all night on Christmas Eve helping Santa fill the stockings and wrapping gifts. Then she sat back with a cup of coffee and watched her little army spring into action.
Pat longed to see world peace in her lifetime; to leave the world a better place. She found it difficult to bear the reality that it seemed never to be. She donated to causes she believed strongly in, such as Doctors without borders, efforts benefiting Multiple Sclerosis, Autism, and Cancer, as well as politicians with whom she agreed philosophically, hoping to make a small difference in the world.
She is loved and will be missed by all.
Our family would like to thank the Hospice of Southern Maine for the above-and-beyond, heartfelt care she received from her RN case manager, Sue and her CNA, Tracey. Both of whom softened her transition and our experience of that transition in a most loving and compassionate way.
A funeral will be held on Wednesday, July 2 at 10:00 AM at United Baptist Church, 318 Main Street, Saco. There will be a short graveside service at Laurel Hill Cemetery following the service and a Celebration of Life luncheon back in the vestry at United Baptist Church.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Chad E. Poitras Cremation and Funeral Service, www.mainefuneral.com