Amy Beth Logue Bedell peacefully passed away surrounded by her loving family at the age of 61 on December 20. She is desperately missed by her children, Kyle, Micky, and Ryan; her long-adoring husband of 40 years, Scott; her “bonus” kids, Katt and Tom; and her sole grandchild, Declan, who lovingly called her “Nana.”
Also mourning Amy are her surviving siblings, Jody, Jeannine, Chris, and Peter, and her chosen sister of 43 years, Sharon – alongside countless others who provided much appreciated support and love in the weeks leading to her departure. She also has quite a few animals missing her: three dogs, four horses, two cats. Plus an overwhelming number of unopened boxes waiting for her from Black Friday deals and Christmas shopping (she got lucky on that one because we suspect the number of boxes might be the same at any time of year but now we have no solid evidence.)
Amy grew up in Norwell, Mass as the fifth of six children in a family of eight. One of her fondest childhood memories was whenever she asked her mom to help her choose a book to read. Her favorite reading spot was her closet, where she’d wedge herself between a wall and a shelf with a flashlight–or in nice weather, high in the branches of a black cherry tree. Here she traveled to China, Ireland, Poland, and more as hot summer days ticked by. Her love of reading is a priceless gift she passed on to her children, who she thought of as her greatest achievement: “three amazing, kind, successful, intelligent human beings!”
Education meant so much to Amy. She received her Bachelor of Science in Social Work from the University of Vermont in 1983, finding both a husband and a best friend in the process. Despite bone-deep sleep deprivation courtesy of her three young children, she graduated as valedictorian of her nursing program at Mass Bay Community College in 1992. And after years of declaring, “I will not die without a Master’s degree,” and some bad times with statistics, she received her MBA from Plymouth State University in 2019 at 58. She did not, in fact, die without a master’s degree.
Her career spanned many titles and organizations, but her heart never left healthcare. In any medical scenario, Amy would consistently remind everyone, “I was a nurse!” It all began with night nursing at UMass Medical Center in the surgical oncology unit– and then progressed to the administrative side. Clinical auditing for New England Medical Center, coding compliance and facility systems support for UMass Memorial Healthcare, Patient Financial Services for Partners Healthcare at Newton Wellesley Hospital (where she spent 7 years and ultimately left under the title Team Lead of Revenue Operations), Vice President of Revenue Cycle at Beacon Hospice, and System Director of Revenue Cycle Services at North Country Healthcare. We wish we could tell you more about what she did but at the time it all seemed far beyond our mental capacities.
Amy tried to retire three times, but she got pretty bored so it didn’t quite stick until 2020. She always said the best decision she ever made was to move to East Burke, Vermont, and establish Merlin’s Spring Hill Farm, with a “view that will take your breath away no matter how many times I look at it.” It was here she realized her two biggest lifelong dreams: getting her MBA and having ponies. She sometimes joked about opening up a french bulldog rescue, and was well on her way to acquiring a herd of Icelandics. She loved sugaring, sunshine, sunsets over the pond, puppy kisses, hot cocoa with marshmallows on a cold day, and frosty beers. We will always remember her penchant for sarcasm and dark humor, and the true joy she received through horseback riding. Her philosophy on happiness was “we make our own, and it truly comes from appreciating the small things.”
The hole she has left in our hearts is one that will never quite be filled. We are eternally grateful for the strength, independence, and bravery she brought out in everyone around her and we can’t quite believe that she is gone. She lives on within all of the people whose lives she’s changed and touched.
In lieu of flowers, please donate blood to the Red Cross or dollars to Vermont Foodbank or Gerda’s Equine Rescue in her honor.
“Grief is the last act of love we give to our loved one. Where there is deep grief there is great love.”
Amy's family will be planning on having a Celebration of Life in the Summer of 2023. Funeral arrangements are under the care of the Ginley Crowley Funeral Home, 3 Barber Street in Medway, www.ginleyfuneralhomes.com.