She was born and raised in the Bunker Hill section of Scranton, the daughter of the late Fred and Elizabeth R. "Betty" Mattel Baer Jr.. She was a member of the Hickory Street Presbyterian Church, Scranton, a graduate of Scranton Central High School and St. Mary’s Hospital School of Nursing. After her education she began her career as a nurse on staff at the Princeton New Jersey Hospital, a nurse on staff at the Havre de Grace Hospital, Maryland while her husband served with the US Army. After returning to Scranton she continued her career in nursing at St. Mary’s Hospital until raising her children became her full time job. In 1976 she returned to work as a nurse at the Holiday Manor Nursing Home until she retired as Director of Nursing in 1996.

    Surviving are two daughters, Debra Bean, Dunmore, Barbara Emick and her husband the Reverend Stephen Emick, her care givers and with whom she resided in Whitehall; three sons, Robert J. Miller Bean and his wife Valerie of Scranton, Edward "Buddy" Bean and his wife Susan of Winter Garden, FL, Michael Bean and his wife Christine; a sister, Diane Haver and her husband Jack of Winter Garden, FL; her grandchildren, Joseph Cecci, KTCC-Tunis, Edward "Buddy" Bean, Jennifer Bean, Michael Bean, Sarah Heim, Allison Emick, Emily Emick; nieces Lori Baker and Jackie Castleman.

    There will be a Memorial Service held on Monday at 3 p.m. in the Miller Bean Funeral Home, Inc., 436 Cedar Avenue, with services by the Reverend Arthur W. Davis, Pastor of the Asbury United Methodist Church.

    The family will greet friends on Monday from 1 to 3 p.m.. The family requests that memorial contributions can be made in her memory to the National Wildlife Federation, 11100 Wildlife Center Drive, Reston VA 20190, http://www.nwf.org/ 800-822-9919.