HAINES CITY - Bumbalo, Edith Colter, died on April 2, 2010, at age 98, surrounded by her loving family of natural causes.
The fourth born of five children, Edith was born on February 1, 1912, in the small town of Premont, Texas, and died in Haines City, FL where she had resided since moving from Buffalo, NY in 1982 with her beloved husband, Thomas S. Bumbalo, MD.
She spent most of her early years in Corpus Christi, Texas until a powerful hurricane destroyed the family home and her father’s business. The family temporarily moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to reside with her Welsh grandparents, before settling in Meadville, PA, in 1926. Always an excellent student, she entered and won first place in an essay contest as a freshman in HS, receiving a medal and a $20 gold piece. She was selected as the valedictorian of her high school graduation class where she spoke of equal opportunities for women and men, a forward thinking idea for her time.
She attended Slippery Rock College for one year, but due to her father’s illness and family financial hardships at the time, she was unable to continue her studies. Edith dropped out in order to work and save money for nursing school. She applied and was accepted into the School of Nursing at the Buffalo City Hospital, which was affiliated with the University of Buffalo School of Medicine. She received her Registered Nurse Diploma in 1935. While she was a nursing student, she met her future husband, Dr. Thomas Bumbalo. After their marriage October 12, 1935, the couple spent their professional careers in Buffalo, where Edith’s husband was a practicing pediatrician and medical school professor. Edith worked by her husband’s side as his nurse and office manager, while, at the same time, raising their seven children.
After she and Dr.Bumbalo retired to the Lake Region Village, they became active on the local and State level in the Federation of Mobile Home Owners (FMO). She was a member of the Daughter’s of American Revolution, the Mother’s Club in Buffalo and an active member of the Optimist Club. Both she and Tom were instrumental in converting the park into a resident owned facility, one of the first in Florida.
Some of Edith’s special interests were worldwide travel, English gardening, volunteer work, sewing, quilting and sharing her musical talents with others. Edith was an accomplished pianist, who began music lessons at a very early age, taught by her concert pianist mother Edith Rowland Colter. For 27 years, Edith was the piano accompanist for the Bandoliers – a group of senior performers who entertained at area schools and nursing homes. Until shortly before her 98th birthday, she served her Lake Region Village community as an organist for their weekly coffee klatches.
She was pre-deceased by her parents, four siblings and her husband of 67 years. She is survived by her seven children, Thomas Bumbalo Jr. (Dawn), Edith Garwood (Harry), Edward Bumbalo (Barbara), Maryfrances Nojaim (Leo), Pauline Fugazzotto (David), Laurence Bumbalo (Judy), and Helene Bumbalo. She is also survived by 17 grand children and 23 great grandchildren. She was loved by many friends and extended family, far and wide, who will miss her dearly.
A funeral mass will take place Monday, April 5, 2010 at 11:30 am at St. Ann Catholic Church, Haines City. Oak Ridge Funeral Care, Haines City. Condolences may be made via:www.oakridgefuneralcare.com
