CROMWELL, CT - Ella M. Overstreet, 92, died November 11, 2012 at the Covenant Village of Cromwell Retirement Community in Cromwell, CT. Born on April 11, 1920 in Hartford, CT to Walter and Gertrude (Pasco) Oertel, she was a long-time resident of Springfield, MA. Raised in Palmer, MA, she graduated early from high school and was employed by Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co, working as a bookkeeper for WBZ Radio in Springfield, MA. Her work there led her to Baltimore, MD and Philadelphia, PA where she met her husband. Upon returning to Western Massachusetts, she continued her work as a bookkeeper and was an office manager for the Springfield Medical Group. A dedicated member of Bethany Assembly of God church for over 55 years, she served for many years as a Sunday school teacher, children's church leader, and deaconess. She found joy in nurturing her children and grandchildren through reading to them, playing board games with them, and just talking with them at the kitchen table. She was an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction, and took great pleasure in sewing meticulously-tailored garments as well as curtains and slipcovers for her home. Predeceased by her husband of 52 years, Edgar G. Overstreet in 1994 and her sister, Marian (Oertel) Tatro, she leaves her sister, Doris Hyatt of Pensacola, FL, two daughters, Shirley Overstreet of Bennington, VT, Carol Wensley (William) of Shaftsbury, VT and her son, Gerald Overstreet (Christine) of Longmeadow, MA. She also leaves four grandchildren, William Wensley, Laura (Wensley) King, Daniel Overstreet, John Overstreet and five great-grandchildren. The family wishes to extend their thanks to the residents and staff of the Covenant Village of Cromwell for their consistent companionship and care over the last eleven years. The burial at Oak Knoll Cemetery in Palmer, MA will be private. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, November 24, 2012 at the Covenant Village in Cromwell, 52 Missionary Road, Cromwell, CT.
[Published in The Republican from November 13 to November 15, 2012]