Obituary of Beatrice Sudlow

Peacefully passed away on September 1, 2014 at 84 years old. Predeceased by her parents, Gerald N. Horth & Lena Decker Horth; and her brother, Gerald N. Horth, Jr. Survived by her loving husband of 54 years, Bob Sudlow; her daughter, Martha (Mike) Osterhaudt; cherished grandchildren, Michael, Matthew, & Margaret. Friends may call on Friday, September 5 from 4-7 PM at the funeral home, 15 West Avenue, Spencerport. Bea's funeral service will be celebrated Saturday at 11 AM at the Church of the Epiphany, 3285 Buffalo Rd, Rochester. Reception and burial to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Memorial Fund of the Church of the Epiphany, 3285 Buffalo Road, Rochester, NY 14624 in Bea's memory. Beatrice Eleanor Horth, the daughter of Gerald Norris Horth and Eva Lena Decker, was born on March 22, 1930 in Oneonta, New York. Upon graduating, as Valedictorian, from Oneonta High School, she attended Albany State Teachers College (now SUNY Albany). She was the first in her family to graduate from high school and college. She majored in Latin and French. By the conclusion of her senior year, 1951, New York State changed its teacher certification requirements to require a master's degree, or the equivalent. Consequently, Albany State required all its graduating seniors to return for another year. Bea, along with her Beta Zeta (BZ) sorority sisters lived in a brownstone house near what is now the downtown campus. While at Albany she formed many life-long, deep friendships. Those five or six women, and their husbands, remained in close contact over the decades. They visited each other; corresponded a lot; talked frequently on the phone; some of them vacationed together. These are, and were, wonderful relationships. Upon receiving her master's degree in secondary education, Bea returned to Oneonta to teach Latin. This lasted for several years, until the subject was removed from the curriculum. For the next few years, she was a secretary at the Oneonta radio station, WDOS, while working on her second masters degree, this time in elementary education. Upon graduating from SUC Oneonta, she obtained a position teaching second grade in the Marcy Elementary School, Whitesboro NY Central School District. It was there that she met her future husband, Bob. Both of them were on the Executive Committee of the teachers' association. (There was no teachers' union in those days.) It was a typical faculty romance. One time Bob loaned Bea a 45 rpm record of Dem Bones, which she used to teach a science lesson. Several days later, Bob received in the inter-office mail thank you letters written by each of her students. That is when he realized that Bea was serious. She denied this to her dying days. She maintained that it was just a language arts exercise. 1960 was an eventful summer. In June, Bob resigned his position in Whitesboro, to work for his doctorate in educational administration at Syracuse University. On July 2, Bea's father died. On July 4, Bob's father had a major heart attack. Nevertheless, Bea and Bob proceeded with their plans to marry on August 13. Bob's father was an Episcopal priest and could not conduct the service, so he asked his best friend, the Rev. William Cole to perform the service at St. John's Church in Oneonta. While living in Syracuse, Bea taught second grade in the West Genesee Central School District. Then, she obtained a position teaching first grade in the Moses-DeWitt Elementary School in the Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District. Teaching first and second grade was Bea's true calling. She was a superb teacher. Her students and their parents loved her. One Christmas a parent gave her a hand drawn sketch and hand written plaque, What Is A First Grade Teacher? She is a woman who can enter a room some enchanted September morning with thirty lively American youngsters, stay with them all day and SURVIVE. Etc. Bea's love of children and of teaching continued for the rest of her career and life. She was, and represented, the best of what a teacher should be. Her only child, Martha, was born in 1971, eleven years after Bea and Bob married. Martha truly was, and is, a joy. Bea devoted her love, intellect, and wisdom to being the best mother possible. As Bob moved up the educational ladder, Medina, Williamsville, Poughkeepsie, Spencerport, Bea moved with him and loyally supported him in the challenges that each new position presented. Bob retired in August 1991. Less than a year later, on Oct. 31, 1992 Bea was diagnosed with squamous cell cancer of the oral cavity. Between Oct. 1992 and April 1993 Bea had seven weeks plus three days of daily radiation treatment, three operations, and several other major procedures. Her mouth was severely affected. The radiation destroyed her saliva glands. She had no moisture in her mouth. At that time, neither the physicians nor the nutritionists knew what to do regarding nutrition. Bea solved the problem. She developed a recipe for a nutritious enhanced soup (meat, bread, vegetables, potatoes, with a soup basis) that took about an hour to prepare each day. It took slightly over an hour each noontime and evening to consume it. Day after day, week after week, year after year, Bea did not complain. When she died, her family physician wrote: "She was very courageous in her long struggle with that devastating illness." Our daughter, Martha, married Mike Osterhaudt on November 25, 1995. Martha and Mike have three children: Mikey, Matthew, and Margaret. They were the light, the delight of her life. Her motivation for staying alive was to see them, be with them, spoil them, and watch them grow up. (At the time of her final illness in 2014, the doctors said that was amazing that she lived so long after her 1992-93 battle with cancer.) Illness returned in June 2014 when she was diagnosed with osteomyelitis of the mandible (infection in her jaw bone). On July 30, her diagnosis was changed to squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity, the same diagnosis as in 1992. The cancer advanced rapidly, more rapidly than we anticipated, and she died peacefully on September 1, 2014, 84 years old. Rest eternal grant to her, O Lord: And let light perpetual shine upon her.