Gertrude Seward Scarmana, 98, of Great Barrington died on Monday October 31, 2016 at Fairview Commons. Gertrude was born on August 4, 1918 in Austerlitz, N.Y., daughter to Standish and Elizabeth (Dunn) Kellogg. At the age of five her family moved to Pittsfield where she attended both Pittsfield High School and Saint Joseph’s High School.
Gertrude married William A. Seward on November 8, 1936 at Saint Joseph’s Church in Pittsfield. She moved to South County in 1938, first living in Housatonic, then Great Barrington where they raised their children, and in 1984 to Sheffield.
Gertrude worked at Great Barrington Manufacturing and Monument Mills; she loved her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and great-great grandsons and was a communicant of Our Lady of the Valley Church in Sheffield and Saint Peter’s in Great Barrington until she became a resident of Fairview Commons five and a half years ago.
Gertrude’s husband William Seward predeceased her on August 2, 1986. Her second husband J. Raymond Scarmana whom she married at Our Lady of the Valley on August 19, 1989 predeceased her on March 13, 2001.
Gertrude is survived by three sons, Robert W. Seward and his wife Madaline of Lee, Stephen P. Seward and his wife Mary of Lee and Joseph A. Seward and his wife Maureen of Sheffield; two daughters, Marlene Atwood and her husband Thomas of Great Barrington and Elizabeth Sermini and companion James Donovan of Housatonic; fourteen grandchildren, Robert, Stephen, William, Michael, Andrew, Katie, Stephen, Joseph, Jonathan and Shannon Seward, Thomas, Donald and James Torrico and Sean Sermini, and 27 great- grandchildren and two great- great grandsons. Gertrude was predeceased by her son William B. Seward in 1964 and her brother Murray Kellogg in 1989.
Funeral services for Gertrude Seward Scarmana will be held on Thursday, November 3 at 10 a.m. with a Liturgy of Christian Burial at Saint Peter’s Church with Reverend William P. Murphy, Pastor officiating. Burial will follow in Saint Peter’s Cemetery. Family will receive friends on Thursday, November 3 from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., at the BIRCHES-ROY FUNERAL HOME, 33 South St., Great Barrington MA 01230. In lieu of flowers expressions of sympathy in Gertrude’s memory may be made to Fairview Commons Activity Fund or Saint Peter’s Restoration Fund in care of the funeral home. Condolences may be made through birchesroyfuneralservices.com.
