Beatrice H. Crescenzi

Beatrice Helen Crescenzi, a loving sister and many-times an aunt, passed on at The Bishop Rehabilitation and Nursing Center on Tuesday, April 9 at the age of 94.  Bea was born at People’s Hospital, Syracuse, New York, on Tuesday, September 9, 1924, the firstborn child of Beatrice and Carl Hemmer.  A bright child, she skipped kindergarten and began 1st grade at the age of 4 when she bussed herself down to Blessed Sacrament School.  Bea graduated from St. John the Baptist High School in 1941 at the age of 16, as the valedictorian of her class.  After business training at the Powelson Business Institute, she worked at several local firms, with her last job as the bookkeeper at Blessed Sacrament Church.
She was a popular dance partner at USO dances in the 1940s and got into golf and bowling in her twenties.  Then Bea met the first love of her life and married John Mara on June 17, 1950.  Their loving union ended with John’s sudden death in July, 1969.  She married again to Bob Clark in 1972, and became the step mother to Bob’s three sons, especially to the youngest son, Mark.  Bob taught her the joys of fishing on Oneida Lake and she made the catch into tasty meals that everyone enjoyed.  Sadly, Bob died in June, 1982.  Bea’s charms were soon claimed once again when she married Tony Crescenzi of East Syracuse in October, 1986.  Bea and Tony created a new home where family gathered for Tony’s cookouts.  She and Tony took a long and exciting trip to Italy to meet Tony’s family and they also took a number of memorable cruises.  Bea enjoyed collecting souvenirs from their trips.  After an extended illness, Tony passed on in July, 2011. Bea was predeceased by a sister M. Virginia (Ginnie) White.
Throughout her life, Bea, who never had her own children, was an aunt who was there with love for her fifteen nieces and nephews.  Also, Bea loved to do gardening, crafts, knitting and solving every Sudoku puzzle she could find.  She was always eager to talk about shared memories with her many friends.  Bea is survived by her sister, Claire O’Reilly of Olney, Maryland, and her brother, Carl Hemmer, of Ashburn, Virginia.

Services Tuesday (April 23, 2019) at 11:00am in Blessed Sacrament Church, James St, Syracuse. Burial in St. Mary's Cemetery, Dewitt. There are no calling hours.