Mary Ellen Watkins Nevin



Mary Ellen Watkins Nevin, of Niskayuna, NY, and Sun City Center, FL, passed away peacefully at home on Sept. 23, 2011, after a four year battle with ovarian cancer. Mary Ellen was born in Cambridge, NY, March 25, 1941, to Edgar and Nina Jackson Watkins. She attended Cambridge Central School, graduating in 1958, and went on to Cornell University, where she was a sister in Kappa Delta sorority, and where she earned a BS in Home Economics in 1962. She later earned an M. Ed. from Syracuse University, and Certification to teach remedial reading.


She married Robert L. Nevin on June 22, 1963. They lived in Genoa, NY, St. Ann, MO, New Hartford, NY, and Niskayuna, NY, and took up seasonal residence in Sun City Center, FL, after retirement. Mary Ellen taught kindergarten, third grade, and second grade in the New Hartford Central School for 17 years. After moving to Niskayuna in 1991, she substituted extensively in the Guilderland and South Colonie School Systems. She greatly enjoyed interacting with elementary and middle school students, and she had an especially soft spot in her heart for behavior-challenged second grade boys. Mary Ellen was a member and chapter officer of Delta Kappa Gamma sorority for women in education.



In her off-hours and retirement, Mary Ellen was an avid fan of the N.Y. Mets, and enjoyed golf, bridge, and travel, especially cruising. She took great joy in taking her children and grandchildren to see Walt Disney World. She was a member of the Red Hat Society. She was proud to have earned her Bronze Life Master rank from the American Contract Bridge League, and loved to compete at duplicate bridge tournaments. She was a member of the United Methodist Church of Burnt Hills, NY, and the United Methodist Church of Sun City Center, FL, and volunteered to support many of their activities.



In addition to her husband, Robert, Mary Ellen is survived by two sons, Robert E. Nevin and his wife Becky, of Derry, NH, and Michael Nevin, and his fiancée Susana, of Jamesville, NY, by two sisters, Marcia Logan and her husband Charles, of Redmond, OR, and Jane Grant and her husband Charles, of New Hartford, NY, by brothers- and sisters-in-law Andrew Nevin of Vancouver, BC, Ginit and Harry Marten of Niskayuna, NY, Mary and Robert Petrie of White Lake, NY, and Sun City Center, FL, and Hazel and Jerry Newton of Toronto, Ont. She is also survived by four granddaughters, Vanessa, Criselda, Lydia, and Sarah Nevin, their significant others Jon Holmes and Matt Lavoie, by great-grandson Ryan Holmes, and by many loving cousins, nieces, and nephews.



The family would like to thank the staff and volunteers at Schenectady Community Hospice for their support and comfort over Mary Ellen's final weeks.



A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 1:00 PM, at the United Methodist Church of Burnt Hills, 816 Route 50, Burnt Hills, NY. There will be no calling hours. A second memorial service will be held at a later date at the United Methodist Church of Sun City Center, FL. In lieu of flowers, please consider the churches mentioned above, the American Cancer Society, your local Hospice organization, or another charity of your choice.
 

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