Beatrice Catherine Dowdy

Beatrice Catherine Dowdy, nee Beilein, died in Corsica Hills Nursing Home on October 17, 2005, after a long lingering illness. She was the widow of James H. Dowdy and had lived in Romancoke since 1974. Beatrice was born in East Baltimore on December 31, 1913, the eldest child of John J. Beilein and Mary Catherine Thim. She was raised in Baltimore, attending various parochial schools as her father moved from place to place with his bakery, Beilein''s Bakery (famous for his rye bread). Beatrice graduated from St. Andrew''s Commercial in 1930 and her first job was as the bookkeeper for Archbishop Curley''s Annual Card Party. After that, she went to work for the Sagro Company, which claimed to manufacture a facial cream, but was actually a front for bootlegging during Prohibition (She was unaware until the G-men arrived and shut it down and sent her home). Before her marriage, she worked for William A. Wood and Universal Taylor Vendomat Company. On November 1, 1941, she married James H. Dowdy at St. Mary''s Star of the Sea. From that union were three children, James, Jr., Joan and Mary Ellen Chittenden. In the early fifties, she went to work for Parkville Bank, then to The Toy Barn, and finally to Gar-On Plastics, retiring in 1974 and moving to Romancoke on Kent Island. On the side, she kept the books for Russell Realing Construction, Bill West''s stalls at the Old Fish Market, John Mackey''s Restaurants, and Claude Birch''s Enterprise. In retirement, Beatrice started the Romancoke Bingo and the Romancoke Ladies Card Circle (which is still meeting after thirty-one years), as well as serving as treasurer of Romancoke on the Bay Association and the United Communities Volunteer Fire Department for many years. She enjoyed cards and bingo, as well as traveling both here and abroad. She was a gracious hostess and until failing eyesight limited her, loved to entertain family and friends. Beatrice was predeceased by her husband, James H. Dowdy, in 1994. She is survived by her son James, with whom she lived in Romancoke; her daughter Joan of Nottingham; her daughter Mary Ellen Chittenden and son-in-law, Patrick of Rosedale; three grandchildren, Andrew of Rosedale, Valerie of Dubai, UAR and Kathryn of Las Vegas and a sister, Catherine E. Lohnes of Fullerton and many nieces and nephews. Family and friends may visit from 3-5pm & 7-9pm on Thursday, October 20, 2005 at Fellows, Helfenbein and Newnam Funeral Home, P. A., Chester, MD. A funeral mass will be held on Friday, October 21, 2005 at 10am at St. Christopher''s Catholic Church, Chester, MD. Interment will follow in Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens, Timonium, MD. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Little Sisters of the Poor, 601 Maiden Choice Lane, Baltimore, MD 21228 or St. Christopher''s Building Fund, P.O. Box 660, Chester, MD 21619 or the Komen Foundation (She was a fifteen year survivor), 200 E. Joppa Road, Suite 407, Towson, MD 21286.