Beverly G. Fifield Darby

Darby, Beverly G., of 56 Crest Street Middletown, RI, passed away on Wednesday, May 11, 2011, at Newport Hospital. She was the wife of the late Paul L. Darby. Born in Newport, Vermont on May 8, 1924, she was the daughter of Roy Bashaw and Grace Bashaw Fifield Smith. On July 6, 1944, her mom perished in the infamous Hartford Circus Fire.Beverly attended the University of Vermont, and was a member of the Tri Delta Sorority. She graduated from Keene State Teachers College, with a degree in Education. Beverly and Paul moved to Newport, RI in 1950 and moved to Middletown in 1952. She was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. She became an educator in the Middletown Public Schools in the late 1960s, teaching full and part time for about 10 years.She was very active with the Newport County Mental Health Center and Phoenix Club, serving on the Board of Directors for many years. She was a member of Calvary Methodist Church, and taught Sunday school, sang in the choir, occasionally played organ, and actively participated in the churchs many social activities. She was a member of the Edward King Senior Center in Newport. She enjoyed gardening, painting, knitting, card games, Yahtzee, and especially playing the piano, both at home and in local nursing homes. She is predeceased by her son Paul R. Darby, her brother Ivan Fifield. She is survived by her sister Barbara Allen of Worthington, Ohio, her son, Thomas Darby and his wife Susan of Middletown; her daughter Sandra Sumrow and her husband Gregg, of Charlotte, NC, her grandchildren Alicia OBrien of Newport, Meridith and Thomas Darby of Middletown, Lindsay and Austin Sumrow, of Charlotte.Calling hours will be held Saturday, May 14, from 8:30 to 9:30 AM at the Memorial Funeral Home, 375 Broadway, Newport, with funeral services following at 10AM at Calvary United Methodist Church, Turner and Wyatt Roads, Middletown. Burial will be adjacent to the church, at the Four Corners Middletown Cemetery.In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Newport County Mental Health Center, 65 Valley Road, Middletown, RI 02842.