Eloise Sisley Beda 1927-2024

Eloise was born the daughter of Rodney and Maude Moore Sisley, on Feb. 1, 1927, in Kinsman. The Sisley family originally settled in Northeastern Trumbull County in 1799, before Ohio became a state in 1803. Eloise was one of seven sisters, having attended Kinsman High School, which required a 17-mile round trip by bus from their country farm.

After graduating at 17, Eloise enrolled in Youngstown College. When the gas rationing of World War II began, her parents would drive her to the New York Railroad Station located seven miles away. Eloise would flag down the passenger train that ran from Lake Erie to Youngstown to travel to college.

Eloise eventually relocated to the Youngstown YWCA, which was only one block away from her college. She worked as a switchboard operator for the YWCA during this time to cover her room and board. Her tuition was paid by her father, with the tacit understanding that she would return to the family farm during the summer to help with chores.

Eloise was featured in the Sunday, June 19, 1949, rotogravure section of the Youngstown Vindicator. The article covered her lifestyle, job duties and many friendships. Numerous photos by the Vindicator’s renowned photographer Lloyd S. Jones accompanied the article.

Graduating in 1948 with a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education, Eloise started teaching within the Youngstown Public School System. Despite her two-year tenure, she was forced to resign after her marriage, due to the superintendent’s policy of employing only teachers that were unmarried.

Eloise and Alfred Carl Beda met on a blind date and later married in July 1949 at the State Line Methodist Church in Jamestown, Pa. They honeymooned on an adventurous road trip to New York City and traveled extensively during their 67 happy years together to exotic locales like Morocco.

While living in Cortland / Bazetta Township, they were parents to three children and were very proud of the fact that all were college graduates who went on to careers in the art world.

Both Eloise and Al were active members of the Optimist Club Bazetta Cortland for more than 45 years and devoted themselves to many projects, including the construction of the Bazetta Township Park baseball fields near Mosquito Lake.

She and her late husband held hands and enjoyed each other’s company as they shared so many common interests, including baseball (especially the Cleveland Indians and Mahoning Valley Scrappers), flea markets, stopping at Wendy’s for coffee and reminiscing. Al and Eloise together wrote a historical book of Al’s heroic military experience in the Pacific during World War II, “Remembering Iwo.” Eloise loved journaling and documenting all of her life’s experiences, and relished rereading her stories or “books” in her later years.

Eloise returned to teaching in 1966 with the local Cortland / Lakeview school system. She earned her master’s degree in education from the University of Dayton in 1982. Eloise loved teaching and especially enjoyed her third-grade students. She seemed to know everyone in town through her students’ families.

Eloise leaves behind her loving family: son, Lynn Beda, with wife, Sandy; and her favorite grandson, Hudson.

Eloise was preceded in death by her husband, Alfred Carl Beda; son, Dale D. Beda; and grandson, Myles L. Beda.

Eloise was an amazing, kind, intelligent and feisty woman who touched the lives of so many students, and dearly loved her family and friends.

We miss her greatly — “Just recall the joy we shared with her presence in our lives.”

No services or calling hours have been scheduled at this time.

Please visit www.oakmeadowcremation.com to send condolences to the family.

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