Obituary of Ethel L. Bristol

Ethel Leola Bristol, passed away on October 30 at the Newfield House of Plymouth after a lengthy illness. She was 92. Born on April 17, 1916, in Boston, she was the daughter of the late Elizabeth Keating Goss and Fred D. Goss. Ethel spoke of her childhood and ten siblings often and with great fondness. She recalled that the household was always full of activity and joy. While one sister played on the piano, others would come over and soon a chorus of siblings would be singing around the piano. As a child, Mrs Bristol lived in many Massachusetts communities as the family moved often to go where work was to be found for her father who was a skilled “wood turner”. She graduated from Milford High School in 1934. It was in Milford where her family attended the Methodist Church and where she was a favorite of the Reverend and Mrs Ralph Norsworthy. With the depression set as the backdrop to her life at this time and the call to move again, Ethel remained behind in Milford with Reverend and Mrs Norsworthy. In 1934, she was legally adopted by the Norsworthys. She worked from 1934 to 1939 at the Milford Water company while dating her future husband Gilbert Dearborn Bristol, Jr., who was then a student at the University of Massachusetts. Reverend Norsworthy married them on June 23, 1939. For the next 24 years she fulfilled the role of mother, loving wife and homemaker raising four children and being a partner as her husband pursued a career in school administration which took the family from Hatfield to Abington and finally to Marion. When her husband passed away suddenly in 1963, Mrs Bristol returned to the work force employed in a variety of positions, which earned enough funds to maintain a home for her family and help her children with their post-secondary education. Her last position was in the Trust Department of Merchant’s Bank in New Bedford where she worked until her retirement in 1975. In that year, she moved to a home on the shores of Cape Cod Bay in Eastham, a community she loved and remained a part of until she moved to Kingston in 1998 to be closer to her family. Mrs. Bristol was a lifelong member of the United Methodist Church wherever she lived. She was always ready to lend a helping hand at church suppers. Her craft and sewing talents produced a bounty of items for sale at the annual fair. Craft nights at her home were a festival of sights and the sounds of women talking and laughing as they made a variety of items to sell at the annual Church Fair. Chowder Suppers in Eastham every Wednesday evening during the summer were a required work night for Ethel even when family was visiting. The most important part of Mrs. Bristol’s life was her family. In her retirement years, Mrs. Bristol took up quilting and as each new grandchild was born, they were presented with quilts honoring their birth. Ethel’s talents also included sewing and knitting. As she watched her favorite programs on television, knitting needles and balls of yarn would be put to work with her sure and steady hands. When cabbage patch dolls became popular in the 1980s Ethel made several as Christmas gifts for her granddaughters. With her considerable craft, quilting and sewing talents, she left her children and grandchildren items which remain a living legacy to a mother’s and grandmother’s considerable talent and love for her family. Ethel is survived by her four children, Gilbert Dearborn Bristol III and Linda Laidley Bristol of Abington, Ralph Norsworthy Bristol and Patricia Walters Bristol of Reigate, England, Cynthia Jane Bristol of West Wareham and Charles E. Rucker, Jr. of New Bedford, and William Tourtellotte Bristol and Melissa Salisbury Bristol of Kingston. She is also survived by seven grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. Grandchildren who survive her include Bonni Michele Woodward of Jacksonville, Florida, Andrew Gordon Bristol of Boston, Daniel Gilbert Bristol of Abington, Sara Belinda Bristol Canavan of Bedfordshire, England, Charles Leander Waitt III of Framingham, Emily Haven Bristol Sinopoli of Tewksbury, and William Tourtellotte Bristol, Jr. of Plymouth. Great grandchildren include Alice and Lucy Woodward of Jacksonville, Florida, Katie and Chloe Canavan of Bedfordshire, England, Charles and Erika Waitt of Framingham, and Cecilia and Alessandra Sinopoli of Tewksbury. A Memorial Service is planned for 11:00 AM Saturday November 15 at the High Street United Methodist Church of Duxbury. A private burial is planned. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Pastor’s Discretionary Fund of the High Street United Methodist Church, 298 High Street, Duxbury, MA 02332.