Joan Bamel

Cumberland Foreside - On the evening of Wednesday, December 23, surrounded by the people she loved most, Joan Deschler Bamel, passed peacefully from this world at the age of 86. Known for her boundless generosity, and her devotion to her family, she will be enormously missed. Joan was born in Chevy Chase, MD, to Virginia Cole and Lewis Deschler. She lived for most of her life in the neighboring town of Bethesda. She attended BethesdaChevy Chase High School, and briefly attended the Rhode Island School of Design. She spent her career working for the U.S. House of Representatives as an editor and cataloguer of congressional precedents for well over three decades. Upon retirement, she moved to Maine where she resided for the last 15 years. Joan was widely known for her vivacity, devotion to family and friends, and her generosity. Although her medical conditions limited her ability to physically attend church, she remained a committed member, and was a faithful and energetic prayer warrior. She had a vigorous intellect and boundless curiosity. She held court in her favorite yellow chair, a tradition 4 generations old. She read insatiably, from dime-store novels to books on nature, but her favorite books were about history, particularly American History. While she certainly enjoyed her share of John Wayne and Alfred Hitchcock movies, a Sunday evening with friends usually found the after-dinner entertainment featuring university level history lectures, some of which she watched on DVD but many of which she herself gave. The evening history lectures were special favorites among her friends because she related history from the point of view of one who had insights gleaned from living the times and events. She was a great lover of animals, and took joy sitting in her famous yellow chair watching the birds, squirrels, chipmunks and foxes cavort in her back yard just on the edge of the woods. Friends came from all over the area to keep her bird feeders filled just to enjoy a few moments of sharing her joy of wildlife with her. She was also a devoted lover of dogs, and her dogs were similarly devoted to her. She is survived by her son, Cole Eddy; and her daughter, Virginia Eddy; as well as five grandchildren, of whom she was enormously proud. As well as seven grand-dogs. She will be returned to the places she loved and respected so dearly in Maine. Burial services will be private. Arrangements are under the direction of the Conroy-Tully Walker Funeral Home of South Portland. To view Joan's obituary page, or to share an online condolence, please visit ww.ConroyTullyWalker.com For those who wish to commemorate her life in a material way, the family asks that donations be directed to the Falmouth Congregational Church, UCC, 267 Falmouth Rd, Falmouth, ME 04105; the Animal Rescue League of Greater Portland, PO Box 336, Westbrook, ME 04098; or the Cumberland Fire Department, 366 Tuttle Road, Cumberland, ME 04021