Edith Fitzhugh Belser Wearn

HOLLYWOOD - Edith Fitzhugh Belser Wearn, 95, widow of Dr. Richard Benjamin Wearn, died peacefully on July 9th at the home of her daughter, Dolly Wearn Higgins in Hollywood, SC, after an active and fulfilling life.

Edith Belser was born in Sumter, SC, in 1916, one of five children of Richard Baker Belser, a lawyer, and Mabel Lee Field Belser. Her father died of appendicitis when she was nine and the family's fortunes changed. Despite this and the subsequent Great Depression, the family maintained its core belief in the values of education and resourcefulness, sending all five children to college. Edith graduated in 1937 from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, GA, with a B.A. degree in English. She went on to teach high school English in rural Georgia and Kingstree, SC, before marrying Richard Wearn of Newberry, SC, in 1940 and following him north while he completed his Ph.D. in organic chemistry at the University of Illinois. Four of their five children were born in different states as Richard served in World War II and started his career. In 1948 the couple moved to the Northeast, where Richard began his long tenure with Colgate-Palmolive, eventually directing worldwide research and development.

During their next thirty-plus years they resided in Millburn Township, NJ, where Edith taught Sunday school for many years, was president of the Women of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, and served as liaison to the Diocese of Newark. Edith shared her parents' belief in the essential importance of education and their commitment to helping others; she considered her greatest accomplishment to be raising and educating her five children. She was the keeper of the family's oral history and traditions. In all her years of living in New Jersey, she never lost her southern accent, and she returned to South Carolina for the last thirty years of her life.

Edith was an avid gardener and a generous, caring friend to many. Her courageous and independent spirit, unquenchable curiosity, and incredible memory amazed her children and grandchildren. She welcomed adventure, driving undaunted through hurricanes and riding a jet ski at age 80. She retained her quick laugh and strong sense of humor through her final days.

Edith is survived by her five children, Mary Wearn Wiener of Short Hills, NJ, and Savannah, GA, Dr. Richard Benjamin Wearn, Jr. of Seattle, WA, Dolly Wearn Higgins of Hollywood, SC, Dr. Frederick Gordon Wearn of Portland, OR, and George Francis Wearn of Graham, WA; ten grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held September 25th at Trinity Episcopal Church on Edisto Island, SC.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Millburn, NJ, to Lutheran Hospice of Mount Pleasant, SC, or to a charity of one's choice.

Arrangements by J. Henry Stuhr, Inc., West Ashley Chapel, 3360 Glenn McConnell Pkwy., Charleston, SC 29414. A memorial message may be written to the family by visiting our website at www.jhenrystuhr.com.