Our mother Edith Wells Bristol, Edie, has died. She had lived at The Hill at Whitemarsh, Lafayette Hill, PA since 2013.
We are very thankful for all of the caregivers at The Hill who provided a tremendous amount of loving aid for her especially over the last three years. We also are most thankful for the team from Serenity Hospice and the incredible involvement of Denise Valerio to make our mother’s life as calm as possible with her Alzheimer’s disease. Edie was born in Montclair, New Jersey and her family subsequently moved to California and Florida before landing outside of Philadelphia.
After graduating from The Shipley School, she received her college degree from the University of Pennsylvania and married her first husband in 1953. They had the four of us, Teddy (Helen) Pardoe, Margie (Andy) Rooke, Edie Webb, and Louise Hastings.
An anchor for Edie and her extended Cattus clan was summer life in Bay Head, New Jersey. The family and friends who gathered there created lasting and sustaining experiences and memories. In 1979 Edie married Michal Bristol and they enjoyed over thirty rich years of life together in Carversville, PA and Madeline Island, WI.
She thoroughly enjoyed having Michal’s five sons, Ted, Bob, David, Steve, and Jamie, come into her life too. While our mother had a number of interests, she was especially passionate about art and music. Her exposure to art appreciation in many visits to the Barnes Foundation Collection led her to pick up a paint brush and become quite an accomplished artist herself. She had many shows and won a number of awards over the years.
One of her most memorable awards came at the Phillips’ Mill Art Exhibition in Bucks County. Both Edie and Michal were founding board members of the Madeline Island Music Camp and they poured themselves into all aspects of this chamber music organization that brought scores of young musicians for intense and enjoyable practice and performing in an idyllic setting.
Edie was also a lovely presence for her eleven grandchildren and seven great grandchildren as well as the families of Michal’s boys. She received the nickname Mere with affection from one and all. The occasions over the years in many locations for good food and family enjoyment provide all of us and numerous others with memories that will last forever.
The family will have a private gathering to celebrate her life. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Edie’s memory to Madeline Island Chamber Music (MICM.org), 118 East 26th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55404.
