Mary Edna Best, Lewes matriarch

Mary Edna Best, 91, of Lewes, passed away Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018, at Harbor Health Care & Rehabilitation Center in Lewes. She was born March 5, 1926, in Lewes, daughter of the late William and Elizabeth (Messick) Walls. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her husband Alfred George Best in 2013; and a grandson, Michael Thomas Best in 2017.

Mrs. Best was a 1945 graduate of Lewes High School. A longtime member of Rehoboth Presbyterian Church of Midway, she served as an elder, as well as teaching Sunday school. Mrs. Best was an active member of the Lewes PTA, where she was also secretary and treasurer. Over the years she worked for Thomas Best and Sons Store, as well as Best Equipment. Her most important role, however, was that of full-time mother.

She is survived by her sons: Alfred G. Best Jr. and his wife Fay of Lewes, and Robert F. Best Sr. of Lewes; her daughter, Linda E. Best and her companion Bruce Nowakowski of Lewes; her three grandchildren: Robert F. Best Jr. and his wife Kerry of Lewes, Alfred G. Best III and his wife Nicole of Lewes, and Kristy Best Wells and her husband Jerry of Milton; and her nine great-grandchildren: Ally, Elena, Cassidy, Gabriel, Landon and Regan Best, all of Lewes, and Wyatt, Noah, and Emily Wells, all of Milton.

Funeral Services will be held Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 2 p.m., at Parsell Funeral Homes & Crematorium, Atkins-Lodge Chapel, Lewes, where friends may call beginning at 12:30 p.m. Burial will follow the services at St. Peter's Cemetery, Pilottown Road, Lewes.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions in Mrs. Best's memory to: Multiple Sclerosis Society, 2 Mill Road, Suite 106, Wilmington, DE 19806, or to the Gull House, C/O Beebe Medical Foundation, 902 Savannah Road, Lewes, DE 19958
Please visit Mrs. Best's Life Memorial Webpage and sign her online guest book at www.parsellfuneralhomes.com.