Obituary of Barbara Lee Bedell

Barbara Lee Bedell of Walker Valley, a long-time columnist for the Times Herald-Record, passed away peacefully on July 27, 2023, at Garnet Health Medical Center in Middletown. She was 87. Born July 10, 1936, in Annapolis, Maryland, her family migrated to New York in 1968. They moved to Poughkeepsie where she worked at Lucky Platt, a furniture store, as a salesperson. She later was involved with WSPK and ended up working for the Poughkeepsie Journal for a short time. From there she went to the Times Herald-Record and remained there for 46 years. Barbara received numerous awards thanking her for her support from the veterans, Kiwanis, Elks Club and more. Barbara was Miss Wyoming 1967, something she was very proud of. She loved to garden and for a time, Perkins Roses sent her free samples to grow. She was also a baker. She entered many contests baking sweet things such as cakes and brownies and cookies. She even organized the Times-Herald Record Baking Contest and helped publish a cookbook from the event. Over the years, working for the paper, she met many people, some well known such as Amy Bull Crist and and the woman behind  Newburgh’s Meals on Wheels program, Federica Warner. She had many acquaintances at West Point and was invited to many of the graduations. She wrote thousands of columns that were widely read in the newspaper. Even though she didn’t think she was all that popular, she was to both the Record family and the community. Her last column was Easter Sunday 2019 before she became ill and spent her last days at her home. To say the newsroom staff was lost without her is an understatement. One thing is for sure: no one could replace Barbara or write her column the way she did. It was so personal, sharing her family events and stories of her life. It was something readers enjoyed and looked forward to. It was their escape from the hard news that was happening in our area and our world. From the Kiwanians to the Rotarians, from the veterans, the rabbis, ministers and people of all faiths and ethnicities - this was Barbara's extended family. She always treated them with respect through her words and gave them the ink they deserved. She truly loved them all. The newsroom staff referred to Barbara as the “candy lady.” There were always containers on her desk filled with candy.  Newsroom staff all turned to Barbara for advice, to talk or to share news about their families. She befriended every publisher who walked through the doors of the Record. She wasn't afraid to let them know about anything that she felt should change at the Record and she always made her point of view clear, including telling Barry Lewis, former Record executive editor, when he should bring in pizza for the staff for lunch. Barbara loved the Record and loved her job more. The fact that Barbara wrote for the same newspaper for the past 46 years speaks for itself. Barbara had a way of speaking, just like she had a way of writing her column. Barbara had a wonderful life of her own. She loved books and dolls and one room in her house, her library, is filled with them. She raised three children, Raymond, Robbie, Patty and Barbara Ann and leaves behind 14 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren that she adored. All still, and will forever, love Barbara Bedell. Barbara was laid to rest at New Prospect Cemetery in Pine Bush.