Edith B. Dumas

Edith Marie Brandon Dumas of Albany, New York passed away on Sunday, September 21, 2014 at Teresian House Center for the Elderly. Edith was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on February 3, 1920, the third of ten children born to Joseph and Anna Brandon. In the early 1920's, her father, a Baptist minister, and her mother, a teacher, established themselves as missionaries. At age three Edith traveled with her family to Brazil, ultimately making their way to Manaus. There Edith grew and worked with her family to sustain and extend the mission that brought heath care, education and God's word to the area. In 1937, Edith returned to the United States, to the family's hometown of Benton, Kentucky and graduated high school in 1940. After high school, Edith attended Murray State College and worked in a variety of ways to support the family's mission back in Brazil, which, by 1942, included seven established churches over a vast area. During World War II she worked in Washington, DC as a stenographer at the Pentagon in a confidential capacity, where in 1950 she met and married Charles W. Dumas, a war correspondent. Charles left for a tour of duty in Korea and during this time Edith attended George Washington University, pursuing dual degrees in Business Administration and Home Economics. After his return from duty, Charles and Edith moved to Albany, New York. In 1969, Edith became a stenographer for the Executive Chamber at the Capitol in Albany, serving then Governor Nelson Rockefeller. In 1972, she moved to work in the Governor's New York City Office through his time as Vice President. In 1976, she took a position as Financial Secretary to The Treasurer of the Reformed Church of America until her retirement in 1985. During her 13 years in New York, Edith lived an exciting, fast paced life and she soaked in the special joys of metropolitan living. During her time in New York, she researched her family genealogy and her father's work in Brazil and wrote and published a book, The Least of These, chronicling his forty years there and her time of direct involvement in his ministry. After retirement from the Reformed Church in 1985, Edith returned to Albany to be closer to the family that son Charles had established. Edith lived in a house next to Charles, his wife Betsy and their three sons. Edith carved out an active life for herself back in Albany. She worked in various part time jobs; served in leadership capacities for the Tawasentha Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution; was an active member of New Covenant Presbyterian Church; meticulously constructed beautiful quilts and needle point; and lovingly tended her flower gardens. Edith was an intelligent, spiritual, refined and gracious woman. She is survived by: son, Charles (Elizabeth); grandsons, Brandon, Benjamin and Peter; sisters, Elizabeth Nast of Peyton, Colorado and Rebecca Stauffer of New Market, Alabama; brother, James Brandon of Waterloo, Illinois; and scores of nieces and nephews. Calling hours will be at the Cathedral of All Saints, 62 South Swan Street, Albany on Friday, September 26, 2014 from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m., with a Mass of Christian Burial following at 5:00 p.m. To thank the staff of the Teresian House for six years of kind and compassionate care, the family requests that memorial contributions may be made the Teresian House Foundation, 200 Washington Avenue Ext. Albany, NY 12203.