Mrs. V. Barbara Bezanson

Honored to serve the Bezanson family from our WATERBURY location.


       Devoted to her family and faith


      WATERBURY  - Barbara Bezanson, 87 of Waterbury, Connecticut, passed peacefully in the comfort of her home with her family by her side on Saturday, March 30, 2024.
 
She was born in Baltimore, Maryland as Virginia Barbara Russell on December 31, 1936, to the late Charles and Sue (Riley) Russell of Severna Park, Maryland. Barbara met the love of her life, Donald, in Glen Burnie, Maryland in 1967. Together they moved to Bristol, Connecticut. A stay-at-home mother when her children were young, Barbara later went to work for Cedar Lane Rehabilitation Center where she retired at the age of 70. She loved her job there as a dietary aide, helping the residents complete their menus. She had a special love for those who did not receive visits from family or friends, and would spend extra time making sure they felt important. Barbara enjoyed her New Year’s Eve birthday. She was born at 11:58pm, two minutes away from being the New Year’s baby of 1937. For many years, she’d celebrate her birthday playing table games and card games with her husband and children all night. At 11:58pm, her mother would call from Maryland, and together the whole family would sing happy birthday. Two minutes later, they would ring in the new year. And then it was back to playing games, often until the sun came up.
 
Barbara loved simple things in life. First and foremost, she loved God, and could often be heard talking out loud to Him. She prided herself on having read the Bible three times. She belonged to Mill Plain Union Church, where she was a member of both the vocal and bell choirs for many years. More than anything in the world, she loved her family.  She loved angels and all animals, and always felt comforted to have her angel figurines and her pets around her. She also loved ceramics, crossword puzzles, crafts, and crocheting. Her children never had store-bought Halloween costumes or birthday cakes. She made them all with her loving creativity. She loved to crochet something for people she knew, and would have a stack of hats, scarves, blankets, and prayer shawls ready to give away at a moment’s notice. In January 2016, she started crocheting hats and scarves for the homeless. She insisted that her goal was to get to 1,000 sets before donating them to a shelter. She didn’t quite reach that goal, although she did finish a lot of them, and those items will be donated by her family in her memory.
 
Left to mourn her loss are her loving husband and primary caretaker for the last several years of her life, Donald Bezanson; her son Brian (Colleen) Bezanson; her daughter Dottie Jo (Richard) Leighton; and her step-daughters Patricia and Donna Bezanson. She leaves behind several step-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. Her home was not complete without her pets, and her dog Bonnie and two cats Little G and Little Bit will also miss her presence. Barbara was predeceased by her three older sisters, Dorothy Ballard, Joyce Lee Baker and Charlotte Cosner.
 
Funeral Services for Mrs. Bezanson will be held on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 at 12 noon at Casey’s Eastside Memorial Funeral Home and Cremation Care 1987 East Main St Waterbury CT 06705. Burial will follow in New Pine Grove Cemetery. Relatives and friends are invited to visit with the Bezanson family on Wednesday morning from 10:00 a.m. until the services at noon at the funeral home. To honor Barbara’s memory and in lieu of flowers, she would want you to simply give the gift of your time visiting with someone who is lonely, or to make a donation to an animal shelter or rescue organization. Her family would like to thank Constellation Hospice for their help in making her final days as comfortable as possible. We also ask that in her memory, you enjoy a peanut butter and fluff sandwich, which was her absolute favorite in her well days. Loving kindness is always welcome, and it only takes a moment to offer a message of condolence or words of comfort or share a memory of someone important to you with your family and friends. Please visit the funeral home's tribute page at www.caseyfunerals.com to do so. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the Bezanson family, please visit our Sympathy Store.