Shirley Waters
1921-2021
An incredible woman and longtime member of the Central New York Branch of NLAPW has passed away. Shirley Waters died on Dec. 23, 2021 at age 100. I received a lovely note and her extensive obituary from her son, Stephen, whom I have corresponded with for several years as he served as the contact with Shirley when she was no longer actively able to keep in touch.
She loved us, Pen Women. I loved her. What a ray of sunshine! Mary Raineri (CNY Branch arts member) had told me (when I was branch president) about Shirley, detailing a phone conversation they had had about dues and her membership in the League. After that, I made it a point to call Shirley and to visit her on several occasions. They were almost life-changing for me. What a beautiful human being, a talented artist, and a journalist at the Sentinel, her family newspaper in Rome, New York.
She was accomplished in so many ways. I had looked on google to find out some of Shirley’s background. Suffice to say an hour spent in her presence at the Masonic Home in Utica was like a gift from God. She was inspirational and so full of life, love and wisdom.
Mary Gardner, former CNY Branch president, and I last visited her in 2019 and while we knew then that some of her vitality was waning, she was energetic and full of intention, with a zest for life. And oh, the stories, humor, and sparkle in those eyes! Shirley was vice president of the Rome Sentinel Company and, until 2012, the majority owner where she actively participated in newspaper management. She continued to serve as a director until her passing.
She was devoted to her husband, George, and spent her days visiting his section of the Lodge until his passing in 2018. They were married for 74 years. Shirley was devoted to her family. She had five children and many grandchildren, and was also dedicated to making her community better.
Shirley served on many boards and was active in her support of women’s rights, contributing regularly to the Matilda Jocelyn Gage Foundation. Shirley She served as a trustee of the Munson-Proctor Institute and SUNY College of Technology Foundation Board, a board member of Sculpture Space, Rome College Foundation, Industrial Labor Education Council of the Mohawk Valley, Emergency Psychiatric Social Service Board, Central New York Community arts Council, as vice chair of New York Newspapers Foundation, on the allocations committee of United Arts Fund of the Mohawk Valley, and on Mohawk Valley Women’s History Project.
Here is a link to her obituary. She lived an extraordinary life and embodied everything it means to be a Pen Woman. I was honored and lucky to get to know her even a little and treasured our email interactions when she was still able to use her hands to type. What a life! What a treasure!
—Submitted by Janet Fagal, Central New York Branch
Ima Pastula
1934 – April 2022
Ima Pastula, PhD, an active letters member of the Cape Canaveral Branch, died on April 2, 2022, at the age of 88. She was an artist and a writer who pent her teens in Bend, Oregon. After she married, she lived in Europe, where she studied oil painting under two fine European master artists in Augsburg, Germany.
Ime received a doctorate, but instead of opening a private practice, she decided to teach. She subsequently became an adjunct faculty teacher at a local Maryland college, sharing her knowledge of mind management, personal dynamics, and motivational studies with new art students.
She also opened “Studio One,” where she taught many eager art students. Ima had decades of experience as a painting instructor, including seven years teaching at The Henegar Center for the Arts in Melbourne, Florida.
She designed her own cover art and was the author of many books, six of which are currently available on Amazon.com, including “Le Mot Juste – Telling It Like It Is”; “Tattletales, A European Trilogy”; “Tosha’s Journey, Rape Of The Sensuals” and “Portals That Be.” The books are available for instant download on Kindle. She also has 53 short stories available on Kindle Fire.
Ima Pastula was the 2012-2014 president of the Cape Canaveral Branch, 2014-2016 vice president, and 2017-2020 secretary.
Judy Allen
1943 – April 2022
Longtime Sarasota Branch member, died on April 18, 2022 at age 79. A writer, adventurer, and knitter, she also had a warm smile and a sense of humor to match. She will be greatly missed.
Judy was a native of Cardiff, Wales. Her father, a member of the RAF, traveled extensively and spent time in the USA, where the family finally settled.
She loved traveling the world as well — Africa three times and dozens of times to Europe. She was even planning an 80th birthday cruise on the Danube. Just mention the word “travel” to Judy, and she lit up like a light bulb. She even owned a travel agency after her husband died in a tragic car accident when she was only 41 and had two teenage children.
Judy graduated from the University of Miami (in Ohio), earned a master’s from Wayne State University, and taught high school science in Michigan. Many of her writings reflect her adventurous travel experiences and her postretirement ventures in the tourist industry.
A cheery, exuberant person, Judy had five grandchildren she adored, a son in Colorado, and a daughter in Michigan. She also had countless Pen Women friends and for years was an active part of a Monday Letters Writing Group with fellow authors from the Sarasota Branch, and her booming laughter and wonderful Welsh accent were always welcoming.
Her daughter Wendy shared that her Mum’s favorite toast was, “Here’s to absent friends and family.” Here’s to you, Judy! We are richer for having known you.
Wendy suggested donations in Judy’s memory be sent to the Sarasota Branch of NLAPW or Mote. And condolences can be sent to her daughter at Wendy Kettler, 1609 Franklin, East Grand Rapids, MI 49506.
(With thanks to her dear friends, Maddy Ginsburg and Alice Moerk, for their insights in putting this together.)
—Submitted by Wilma Davidson, Sarasota Branch President
Beverly Ann Hargis Fleming
October 19, 1934 – April 7, 2022
Sarasota Branch member Beverly Ann Hargis Fleming was a sweet mother and friend as well as a talented professional artist and entrepreneur. She loved music and art, and was a ballroom dancer who appeared as one in a music video by Mary Chapin Carpenter.
A loving mother of three, Brenda Fleming, Rilla Fleming, and Steve Fleming (deceased), she is survived by her daughters, five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
Beverly came from a family of artists. Her grandmother taught art in Arcadia, Florida, in the early 1900s. Her mother was also an artist and all her siblings had artistic talent. Her father moved the family to Boca Grande, Florida, where she and her six other siblings lived. In the 1950s, she moved to Sarasota with her husband, James Hampton Fleming.
She really loved the Lord and was very active in her church as she raised her family. Beverly played the piano for the church, sang solos, and taught Sunday School at the Baptist churches she and her family attended.
It was Beverly’s dream to own an art gallery. She purchased and operated the Beverly Fleming Gallery at the Towles Court Artist Community in Sarasota, Florida, in 2000-2006. She supported many local artists, Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota Opera, and various other organizations. She was a member of the Sarasota Branch of the National League of American Pen Women and served as a president for three years. Loved by everyone she met, she will be deeply missed.
—Submitted by Sarasota Branch President Wilma Davidson, with help from Beverly’s daughter, Brenda