Priscilla Rogers Burdsall, 84, of Egremont passed away peacefully with family by her side Thursday, May 31, 2018, at Hillcrest Commons in Pittsfield.
Priscilla was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Alban and Priscilla Rogers and raised in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. She attended and graduated from George School, a private Quaker preparatory school, in Newtown, Pennsylvania. At the age of 16, she met the love of her life, Richard Burdsall, at George School. After graduation from George School, Prilla attended Colby Junior College and graduated from Penn Hall (Wilson College) and Keystone Secretarial School.
On Dec. 17, 1955, Priscilla and Richard married at the Swarthmore Friends Meeting and moved to Baldwin Hill in Egremont to raise their family. In 1959, Priscilla and Richard settled the family in Cambridge, New York, where they lived for 30 years. She was a fixture in the neighborhood, riding a tandem bicycle with two child seats through the town streets and taking the neighborhood children trick-or-treating every Halloween. Her sense of humor and love for all she met was amazing and will be greatly missed.
In 1989, they returned to Egremont and Baldwin Hill to turn Richard’s childhood home into the Baldwin Hill Farm Bed and Breakfast. Priscilla and Richard ran this very successful business for 22 years. They retired from the business when Prilla’s diagnosis with dementia began affecting her life and those around her.
Priscilla dedicated her life to others and, as an only child, she reveled in the wonders of her childrens’ relationship with each other, always bringing love and a playful spirit to games with her children and grandchildren. She earned the nickname “the X factor” from the grandchildren because, no matter how much she may have forgotten about the rules of a game, she always came through in the most unlikely of times. She was passionate about travel and enjoyed being part of the family expeditions to Alaska, the western United States, the Canadian provinces including Newfoundland and Labrador, Norway, England and the beloved Barbados.
The family wishes to acknowledge and thank all the wonderful caregivers at Wingate on Melbourne, Hillcrest Commons, HospiceCare in the Berkshires and Berkshire Medical Center. Their care and support was extraordinary.
Priscilla is survived by her husband of 63 years, Richard H. Burdsall, of Egremont; her son Richard E. Burdsall and wife Deborah of Palatine, Illinois; her son Thomas A. Burdsall and wife Susan of Winchendon; her daughter Sarah P. Burdsall and wife Kathryn of Egremont; and her son Stuart R. Burdsall and wife Julie of Grafton. She is also survived by her grandchildren: Scott and wife Maria, Steven and wife Lindsay, James, Lindsay, Timothy, Sam and Will; and her great-granddaughter, Sofia. She is also survived by her brother-in-law Walter and wife Jane of Friendswood, Texas; her sister-in-law Susan (Benjamin) of Saco, Maine; and many nieces and nephews.
The family will receive friends Monday, June 4, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Finnerty and Stevens Funeral Home in Great Barrington. A Quaker memorial service and celebration of Priscilla’s life will take place Tuesday, June 5, from 11 a.m. to noon at Crissey Farm in Great Barrington, followed by a luncheon.
In lieu of flowers, please feel free to make a donation in Priscilla Burdsall’s name to the Egremont Land Trust or HospiceCare in the Berkshires c/o FINNERTY & STEVENS FUNERAL HOME, 426 Main St., Great Barrington, MA 01230. To send remembrances to the family, visit http://www.finnertyandstevens.com.
