TITLE: Leah G. Benway , Obituary, Dec 17, 2000 SUBMITTERS: Portsmouth Herald, http://www.seacoastonline.com 111 Maplewood Aveue, Portsmouth, NH (issue Dec 19, 2000 ) FORMATTED: by CParziale, 2000 ***************************************************************************** Leah G. Benway MOODY, Maine - Leah G. Benway, 95, formerly of Edgewood Road, died Sunday, Dec. 17, 2000, at Renaissance Nursing Home in Biddeford. Born March 6, 1905, in Howell, Mich., she was the daughter of Walter S. And Alberta (Wilcox) Burnett. She was a 1922 graduate of Oceania High School in Virginia. She received her teaching diplomas from Gorham Normal School in 1927, a bachelor of science degree from Boston University in 1936, and received her master's degree in education from Springfield College in 1960. She began her teaching career in 1922, teaching in one-room schools in Scarborough. After receiving her diploma in 1927, she taught seventh- and eighth-grade history, geography and physiology in the Sanford schools and coached boys baseball for two years. She later became a seventh- and eighth-grade teacher in Windsor Locks, Conn., for six years. After a 10-year absence from teaching, she returned in 1946 to teach history and geography at the Consolidated School in Southwick, Mass., and was the boys baseball coach and served as director of the athletic programs. In 1955, she was appointed chairman of the Social Studies Department at Southwick High School, and held that position until her retirement in 1970. She was awarded the Massachusetts Teacher of the Year Award in 1966. She had resided in Holyoke, Mass., for most of her life, retiring to Moody in 1974. She was a member of the First Parish Church of Holyoke and served as superintendent of the Sunday School from 1945 to 1947. She was the first woman president of the Holyoke Council of Churches and had served on various boards of Holyoke area service organizations. She was a member of the First Parish Church of York. She was a member of the York County Teacher's Association, State of Maine Historic Preservation Commission, Women's Club of Wells, the local book club, Retired Teachers Association of York County, Wells Library Board of Trustees and a member and art exhibitor at the York Art Association, a past president of the Wells-Ogunquit Historical Society and a member of the Wells Library Board of Directors. She was instrumental in conducting an archaeological dig at Jefferd's Tavern in Wells, holding two Old Home Days tours and obtaining a Town of Wells Ordinance to preserve old homes. Mrs. Benway was predeceased by her husband, Karl W. Benway, who died in 1976; and by her son, Gerald Lee Benway, who died in 1996. She is survived by her granddaughter, Katherine Harmon of South Carolina; and by four great-grandchildren. A private burial will be held in Forestdale Cemetery, Holyoke, Mass. Arrangements by the Lucas and Eaton Funeral Home, York BENWAY - Leah G. Benway, formerly of Moody, died Dec. 17, 2000, in Biddeford, Maine. Services will be private with interment in Forestdale Cemetery, Holyoke, Mass. Memorial donations may be made to either the Wells Library, or to the Wells-Ogunquit Historical Society. Arrangements by Lucas and Eaton Funeral Home, York, Maine. **************************************************************************** * * * * Notice: Printing the files within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. * * * * The USGenWeb Project makes no claims or estimates of the validity of the information submitted and reminds you that each new piece of information must be researched and proved or disproved by weight of evidence. It is always best to consult the original material for verification.