Obituary of Virginia Stella Bamont

Virginia Stella Bamont (nee Regina Shutway) passed on to the next life on March 6, 2011 at the age of 98 after a prolonged struggle with Alzheimer's, which she met with grace and dignity. Born in Benwood, West Virginia in 1912, she moved with her family to Belmont County where she grew up on a sheep, hog and later, a dairy farm until she came to Akron, Ohio in 1929. She spent the rest of her life in Akron, with brief jaunts to Chicago and the Adirondacks while working as a domestic in the employ of several families, mainly the Barrett and McPherson families. Having graduated from the old West High School along with her future husband, she later married Michael J. Bamont in 1937, had one son, James, and lived with her son the rest of her life after the early death of her husband in 1956. Virginia was one of ten children born to John and Mary Shutway who were born in 1872 and 1884 respectively in Slovakia. Her seven brothers were John, Paul, Steve, Anthony, Frank, Raymond and Edward Shutway; six of her brothers served in World War II while one (Steve) died in the closing days of the War in the Pacific Theater. Her two sisters were Sue Riedel and Mary Matuska. All of her brothers and sisters and parents preceded her in death. She is survived by her son, James; and numerous nephews and nieces. Throughout her life she believed in simplicity, realism and in being honest with herself and others. Having no special education or skills (she did learn to type), she learned to work hard to achieve her ends. In this, she was much like the rest of her family. Her youngest brother Edward was fond of saying, "Work never hurt anyone." Largely because of her rural upbringing, she believed in directness and honesty over obfuscation. And probably because of the poverty she experienced on the farm and in Akron during the Great Depression, she learned not to waste anything (maybe to a fault) so that she seldom threw away anything that might be useful later. Of great comfort to her was her almost symbiotic relationship with nature from which she derived great spiritual sustenance, especially through gardening which she did avidly for 27 years. At age 80, she planted a 100 foot row of potatoes. She was also a strong believer in the old German proverb, "You are what you eat," and she made the pursuit of good nutrition a lifelong endeavor. She had a deep faith in God, and she attended church regularly for many years. She was a member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Kenmore for 48 years. Her calm understanding demeanor will be missed. Funeral service will be held Thursday, 9:30 a.m. at the Anthony Funeral Home Kucko-Anthony-Kertesz Chapel, 1990 S. Main St. in Akron followed by Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. Fr. Michael B. Smith, celebrant. Entombment at Holy Cross Cemetery. The family will receive friends TONIGHT from 5 to 7 p.m. at the funeral home. Donations may be made to the Keep Akron Beautiful Agency, 850 E. Market St. Akron, Ohio 44305-2424. (Anthony Funeral Homes, 330-724-1281, www.anthonyfh.com)