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Mary Lamar Bedenbaugh Nelson, 93, passed away May 24, 2014 at her home in Longboat Key, Florida. She was born in Ninety Six, South Carolina, daughter of the late Josephine Lipscomb Bedenbaugh and William Lamar Bedenbaugh. She graduated from the Ninety Six High School, where she played on the winning 1936 State Championship basketball team. She received her B.A. from Winthrop College with a major in Elementary Education and took further graduate studies at the University of North Carolina. Afterwards, she was a teacher at schools in Columbia, South Carolina, Minneapolis, Minnesota and Kansas City, Missouri.

For 22 years, she and her family lived in Canada and in Geneva, Switzerland. She was a substitute teacher at the International School and a chaperone on school trips. Always interested in reading, she supported the development of the American Church Library in Geneva with books in English and served faithfully on the Altar Guild for many years.
She was a talented writer with a teacher’s perfect penmanship. Her Christmas Holiday Greeting was awaited by Chinese friends in Hong Kong, Thai friends in Bangkok and long time friends in Australia, North America and Europe. An avid traveler, she visited Scandinavia, Europe, Russia, Greece, Israel, Egypt, Australia and Southeast Asia. Mary Lamar enjoyed getting to know others. She was a gracious hostess not only for birthday parties, but also for the then President of Winthrop College, Adlai Stevenson, Cartoonist Hank Ketcham of “Dennis the Menace”, US Ambassador and Mrs. Shelby Cullum Davis and other dignitaries, always enthralling them with her Southern charm.

She is survived by her loving husband of 67 years, Lowell; her two daughters Mary Jo Nelson (Michael Naas) of St. Paul, Minnesota; and Christine Nelson (Willis Lillard) of Ann Arbor, Michigan; and five grandchildren, Elizabeth and Catherine Lillard, Lowell, Mary and William Naas. She was preceded in death by her sister Virginia Carol Bedenbaugh. She will be deeply missed by family and friends.

Funeral service 11 a.m. August 9 at First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 561 Chestnut Street, Taylors Falls, MN. Visitation one hour prior to the service. Interment at Kahbahkong Cemetery, Taylors Falls. Memorials to the First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Taylors Falls or to the charity of your choice. Arrangements by Grandstrand Funeral Home, 651-257-4000, granstrandfh.com

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