Norma Mae Edwards - East Hampton Star

Norma Mae Edwards, a 10th-generation subordinate of the Edwards household successful Springs, was described by friends arsenic “a unit of nature.”

“A vital, beauteous person,” she “had a beardown interaction connected all,” her household wrote.

Ms. Edwards died connected Monday astatine location successful Springs, 2 houses distant from the homestead overlooking the creek connected Fireplace Road wherever she was born. At 98, she had been successful comparatively bully wellness until astir 2 weeks ago.

Ms. Edwards was calved connected May 30, 1924, to Irving Edwards and the erstwhile Alice Look. She spent her puerility playing with her friends crossed the thoroughfare connected Fireplace Road, wherever she learned to thrust horses. Her parent was a teacher astatine the Springs School. Her father, a chickenhearted farmer, stayed location to rise her. “She adored him,” and spent galore hours rowing with him successful Gardiner’s Bay, adjacent arsenic acold arsenic Gardiner’s Island, wherever his sister was a teacher.

At an aboriginal age, she spent her summertime days connected a sportfishing vessel with her Uncle Merton Edwards and with her Aunt Essie Parsons successful the Montauk sportfishing colony that was swept distant successful the Hurricane of 1938.

She graduated from East Hampton High School and wanted to beryllium a doctor, but determination was nary wealth for aesculapian school, her girl Sue Ellen O’Connor wrote. East Hampton’s assemblage doctor, Dr. David Edwards, a relative, suggested that she survey nursing, advising her “that if she wanted the champion acquisition arsenic a caregiver to spell to Bellevue and if she wanted to wed a affluent hubby to spell to Presbyterian,” her girl wrote. “She aboriginal said, ‘He was right. I got the champion aesculapian grooming astatine Bellevue and I ne'er had immoderate money.’ “

She was a nursing pupil astatine Bellevue erstwhile she and her precocious schoolhouse sweetheart, James Corwin, were joined connected Sept. 17, 1943. He was a method sergeant with the Army Air Forces stationed successful Idaho. A vigor relation and gunner, helium died successful a B-24 craft clang “on an icy runway successful England arsenic it took disconnected for the Battle of the Bulge connected Dec. 27, 1944,” according to the East Hampton Library’s Andrea Meyer. She was conscionable 20 erstwhile she was widowed.

She aboriginal joined Dr. Philip Marder, with whom she had 2 daughters, Sue Ellen and Nancy, and a son, Charles. They divorced successful 1968.

She worked successful the exigency country astatine Bellevue, and later, erstwhile she moved backmost home, did backstage work enactment and worked the precocious displacement astatine the East Hampton Medical Center. “She was known for her photographic representation of aesculapian facts and her diagnostic skills,” her household wrote. “Everywhere she worked, she was described arsenic the ‘best caregiver ever.’ Many would question retired her advice. She inspired 2 of her grandchildren to go doctors.”

She near the country to nonstop a nursing location successful Wisconsin for 2 years and past returned to the South Fork. Until her mid-70s, she was successful complaint of nursing astatine 2 houses connected the East End for the intellectually and developmentally disabled that were tally by the Catholic Guardian Society.

“She provided a wide representation of a beardown pistillate with an unwavering, affirmative spirit,” a neighbor, Shirley Talmage, wrote.

Ms. Edwards was an adept connected early-American antiques and section past and was often consulted for humanities facts. She was a subordinate of the Springs Historical Society and the Springs Library. She was besides a large navigator and seamstress and was “a prodigious reader,” her household wrote.

She maintained a vertebrate sanctuary successful her backyard overlooking the creek. Her dedication to preserving the onshore inspired her son, Charles Marder, successful his dedication to organics and reviving indigenous planting. Both her daughters shared her emotion of horses. Ms. O’Connor was a teacher for galore years astatine Springs School; her different daughter, Nancy Banfield, runs a location for retired horses successful Virginia.

“She taught america beingness lessons each time and prided herself connected being a relation model,” Ms. Banfield said. Ms. O’Connor recalled penning an nonfiction titled “Everything I Needed to Know I Learned From My Mother and Horses” and said “she ne'er fto maine down, with her bully judgement and wisdom.”

Ms. Edwards attributed her bully wellness and vitality to her regular regimen of walking her corgis astatine Maidstone Park with her friends, and “to spending galore hours successful the prima each day, nary substance the season.” She leaves down a longtime companion, a parrot named Uncle Dan (after her Uncle Dan Parsons), who had lived with her for 40 years.

She is survived by her children, Ms. O’Connor of Southampton, Ms. Banfield of Wake, Va., and Mr. Marder of Springs. She besides leaves six grandchildren, Silas Marder of Sag Harbor, Mica Marder and Tucker Marder of Springs, Samuel Winter of Miami, and Dr. Molly Banfield and Dr. Walter Banfield of Wake, Va., arsenic good arsenic 2 great-grandchildren.

Her household has suggested donations to the Springs Library, the Springs Historical Society, oregon the Springs Community Presbyterian Church.