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.
Class of
1958 Link
to
MaryEllen's
Personal
Page
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