Edith Mae Beach McCants of Providence, RI passed away peacefully on September 12, 2024 at HopeHealth Hulitar Hospice Center with family. Edith was born on September 2, 1938 in Georgetown, South Carolina. She was the daughter of the late Theodore "Ted" Beach and Donella Dobbins Beach.

Edith was also known as "Edie" and attended public schools in Georgetown County; she attended Howard High School. She was very active in sports and was a member of the girls' basketball team in high school.

Being married to a spouse who was in the armed services, the U.S. Navy, a 20-year Veteran, Edith became an expert at packing up and unpacking the family home and making any new house a "home" wherever the family settled and lived. She was a devoted wife, consummate homemaker, and quintessential mother. She enjoyed reading non-fictional novels, bible scripture reading daily, and doing crossword puzzles and word searches to keep her mind active and memory sharp. Edith always enjoyed a good game of Bingo with friends at locations in various communities wherever she lived. She also volunteered at several agencies in her earlier years that provided information and assistance to families on programs and services for school-age children. Edith was also actively involved in the Roger Williams Homes Committee which organized events and rallied families in the community to advocate for better living conditions and policies for those renting the apartments.

Edith worked for 20 years at Mine Safety Appliances Company formerly in Esmond, RI until she retired in 1997.

Edith will be remembered for her excellent cooking and baking, especially the homemade pies and biscuits. She would often gather her family to not only enjoy a delicious meal but also to share numerous stories of her upbringing in the south. She was a great storyteller of her past and was deeply connected to her ancestral roots as she passed on her "folksy" pearls of wisdom.

Edith, affectionately known as Mom, Nana, May May, leaves to cherish her memory and mourn her passing - her children: Debra Livingston (late husband Larry) of Cranston, RI, James "Ricky" McCants, Jr. of Bloomington, MN, Donna DeJesus (late husband Ismael) of West Warwick, RI, Dana Derisier (husband Guidou) of Providence, RI, Stephan McCants of Cranston, RI; one brother: LeRoy Beach of Pittsburgh, PA; nine grandchildren, sixteen great-grandchildren, one great-great grandchild, numerous cousins along with a host of beloved relatives and friends.
Preceded in her death: husband, James "Jeep" McCants, Sr., brother, Theodore "T.T." Beach, and a grandchild, Terria Lassiter McCants.

In lieu of flowers, donations in her honor can be made to the VNA of Care New England and the HopeHealth Hulitar Hospice Center.

Christ Community Church
224 Woodward Road, Providence, RI 02904
 

Friday, September 20, 2024

Visitation: 10:00 A.M. - 11:00 A. M.

Funeral Service: 11:00 A. M. - 12:00 P. M.

Interment following service:
RI Veterans' Memorial Cemetery
301 South County Trail
Exeter, RI 02822