Celebrating the Life of the Late Beatrice Atkinson

Dear Mom: For more than 10 months I tried to write your obituary and just couldn't. The pain of losing you was too much to bear and I just wasn't ready, or able to do it. Today we interred your ashes next to your beloved mother and father. I realize that it is now time to let you go and time to celebrate who you were.

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Beatrice Atkinson was born on Dec. 27, 1939, in Orange, N.J. She was the daughter of the late Christopher J. Atkinson and Louise C. Atkinson (Watkins) of Chilmark. She is survived by her daughter, Lori Ferrari, her son, Christopher John Atkinson 4th, and her brother, Christopher John Atkinson 2nd. She also is survived by her three granddaughters of whom she was so proud: Alora Atkinson, Harley Atkinson and Rebecca Ferrari.

She was graduated from the Baldwin School in Bryn Mawr, Pa., in 1958 and Wheelock College in 1962 with a degree in education. This excellent education served her well; she developed a broad vocabulary and loved punning, which elicited loud groans from her victims. Though her children suffered childhood with the "grammar policewoman," they were grateful for her benevolence - especially when it came time to write college term papers.

Bea never knew what she wanted to do when she grew up and was still mulling it over at the young age of 64. The jobs she loved most were ones where she was interacting with and helping others. At one time she worked for MassSave conducting home energy audits. She not only learned how to properly insulate a house and what the best R rating was for windows, but she also learned that since she loved spending time chatting up the homeowners, she needed to space her appointments further apart.

One of her most fulfilling jobs was in personnel placement. She knew she was well suited for this occupation because when she was interviewing for a job, she invariably wound up interviewing the interviewer. She always asked applicants what their professional interests and goals were and did her best to place them in positions where they would thrive.

Bea loved to shop and was always on the lookout for the best deal. (She had honed this skill many years prior when she was a struggling single mother working three jobs to make ends meet.) While working as manager of store maintenance at the Worcester headquarters of Thom McAn, she put her shopping savvy to good use. She loved to wheel and deal and was a tenacious bargain hunter. One poor air conditioner salesman made the mistake of assuming he could get away with charging her full price for one of his units; she not only told him he was overpriced, she also told him what each of his competitors was charging and managed to negotiate a large discount.

Prior to living on the Vineyard, Bea had lived in Holden for more than 20 years and was a member of the congregation at St. Francis Episcopal Church. In 1995 she sold her home and moved in with her father in Chilmark so he could live out his last years in his own home. She took a position at the Chilmark town hall and worked as the administrative assistant for the Chilmark conservation commission and the Chilmark planning board. She was very passionate and outspoken about her views concerning the future of Chilmark. Her love of the town stemmed from her family's vacationing there throughout her childhood; her parents eventually retired there.

Another passion was her faith in God. She served on the vestry board at Grace Church in Vineyard Haven and was a member of the International Order of St. Luke the Physician. She was the leader of the craft table at Grace Church's holiday bazaar and would spend months gearing up for the event. She was so dedicated that, just five days prior to having major surgery, she made a special trip from Stamford, Conn., back to the Vineyard to deliver her crafts in time for the bazaar.

Bea was an avid gardener and loved exotic plants. Her favorite flowers were orchids but her most prized plant was her night blooming cereus. The plant only blooms once a year and only during the night. She had been known to call friends in the middle of the night and invite them over to watch the flowers bloom - though sometimes the flowers had their own timing and did not cooperate. She felt that gardening was a way of leaving her legacy.

Bea was diagnosed with lung cancer in July 2004 and died on Dec. 12, 2004. She left her legacy in all who loved her. Her family and friends miss her sense of humor, cheerful voice, generosity and optimism . . . we just miss Bea.

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Mom, these few paragraphs could never do you justice but I hope that those who read them can get a glimpse of the truly special woman you were.

All my love,

Lori