Esther M.E. Gwin

Esther Matilda Elizabeth “Betty” Gwin, 93, of North Beaver Township Passed away peacefully in her sleep with family by her side on Sunday, Aug. 12, 2018.

Mrs. Gwin was born May 8, 1925, in Bury St. Edmunds at Suffolk, England, the daughter of Harold V. and Ada C. Ross.

She was a 1940 graduate of Ardleigh Green School, Hornchurch, Essex, England.

It was in Bury St. Edmunds that she met the love of her life, Harold Lee Gwin, an American soldier with the U.S. Army Air Force stationed at Rougham Air Base in World War II. They married in 1945 and she and their infant daughter, Janice, joined him in the United States in December, 1946, settling on the family farm in North Beaver.

She became an American citizen and was active in the farm life, often recounting stories of those years, particularly one account when her husband stationed her on the back of a piece of equipment which he then backed up to a 50-foot precipice overlooking HIckory Creek as they worked in a field. She did not enjoy the experience.

She could be a fierce protector of her children and was a loving caregiver, doting on her grandchildren, loving to hear of their adventures and activities. She always had a big Sunday dinner after church, usually roast beef with Yorkshire pudding.

She was a member of Moravia Presbyterian Church where she served various times as a Sunday school teacher, Children’s Choir director and Bible School teacher and was treasurer of the Missionary Society.

She was noted for her English sarcastic sense of humor.

She and her husband were avid Mohawk High School fans, attending athletic events, plays, musicals and the annual prom promenade, long after their own children had graduated.

She was a Cub Scout den mother and enjoyed sewing, growing flowers and bird watching, insisting that the bird feeder outside her kitchen window be filled at least once a day. She ejoyed riding in a golf cart with her husband at the wheel but said she didn’t like roller coasters, recalling how she first rode one at Idora Park and never went back.

She leaves two daughters, Janice (William) Volk and Cheryl (John) Geidner; two sons, Darrell and Harold (Dorothy) Jr.; two sisters Joyce Dutson and Winnie Layton; six grandchildren, Ross, Meghan, Erin, Carley, Jared and Jessica; and 12 great-grandchildren, Lindsey, Garrett, Kendall, Kailee, Connor, Morgan, Finley, Reid, Jada, Max, Declan and Ava.

Besides her husband in 2016, she was preceded in death by her parents; brothers David Ross and John Hare; and a sister, Sheila Dunnett.

According to her wishes, there will be no callng hours or funeral service. Memorial tributes may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Arrangements have been entrusted to the Marshall Funeral Home, Wampum. Online condolences may be offered to the family by visiting marshallsfh.com.