Friends of the late Louise Elizabeth Chalmers, 74, of Harrington, may call on the family from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 12, at the Melvin Funeral Home, 15522 S. DuPont Highway, Harrington. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 13, at the St. Bernadette Catholic Church, 109 Dixon St., Harrington.
Mrs. Chalmers died Monday, March 8, 2010, at the Beebe Medical Center, Lewes.
Born March 29, 1935, in Milford, she was the daughter of immigrant parents, the late Emilio P. and Elizabeth C. Gerardi.
Mrs. Chalmers grew up on the family farm in Harrington. She graduated from Greenwood High School in 1953, where she met and fell in love with her husband, Donald Chalmers. After living in Bridgeville, they bought a home in Greenwood, and then later their cherished family farm in Harrington where they lived since 1963.
She attended Goldey-Beacom College and worked as an administrative secretary in the Department of Weights and Measures, the Department of Education, and the Lake Forest School District, from which she retired in 1991.
Mrs. Chalmers was an incredibly talented and creative person who loved to paint, decorate her home, work in her garden, and also enjoyed traveling. She cherished her family and the time spent with them. She loved shopping for antiques and enjoyed finding bargains and treasures in local stores and on eBay.
She adopted several stray cats, giving them a loving home.
Mrs. Chalmers will be remembered as a strong-willed woman with a loving and generous spirit. Her concern for the wellbeing of others was one of her most endearing qualities.
She will be greatly missed by all.
Mrs. Chalmers was a devoted member of the St. Bernadette Catholic Church of Harrington, where she and her husband had the distinction of being the first couple married when the church was constructed in 1954. She also was a member of the Harrington Red Hatters.
In addition to her husband, Mrs. Chalmers is survived a brother and sister-in-law, Emil “Pete” and Delores Gerardi of Harrington; a sister and brother-in-law, Marge and Millard Calhoun of San Angelo, Texas; two daughters and a son-in-law, Donna and Cliff Short of Dover and, Rebecca Chalmers of New Castle; a son and daughter-in-law, Gregory and Jennifer Chalmers of Newark; and four grandchildren, Andrea Ascencio Evia and her husband Juan, Kyle Short, Nathaniel Chalmers and Alexander Chalmers.
Interment will be in the Hollywood Cemetery, Harrington.
Arrangements are by the Melvin Funeral Home, Harrington.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Mrs. Chalmers’ memory may be made to St. Bernadette Church, 109 Dixon St., Harrington, DE 19952.
The family expresses special thanks to the Hope Lodge in Baltimore, Md., the University of Maryland Radiation Oncology and Greenebaum Cancer center, Beebe Medical Center and Tunnell Cancer Center in Lewes, the Bayhealth Medical Center and all local physicians who supported her.
