SARGENTVILLE – Barbara “Bee” Wheatland, 80, passed away peacefully April 15, 2010, at her home. She was born in 1929, in Marblehead, Mass., the daughter of David P. and Elizabeth H. Wheatland, formerly of Topsfield, Mass. She spent her youth in Marblehead, Mass., and Topsfield, Mass. During her early childhood she wrestled with vertebrae problems which necessitated innovative operations and therapy, but inspite of these difficulties, she grew up to lead an active, involved and vibrant life. As a child she was on the beach club swim team, raced Hereshoff sailboats and loved hiking the mountain trails on Mount Desert Island. She was also an avid reader and loved listening to classical music. She attended Buckingham School, Cambridge, Mass. After her graduation in 1947, she embarked on a memorable two-month driving trip across the country with her mother. She attended Radcliffe College at Harvard University, graduating magna cum laude in economics in 1951. While in college she sang in the Harvard / Radcliffe Chorale and at Tanglewood in the Berkshires for two consecutive summers. After college Bee had a lengthy career spanning 50 years, starting as an assistant in the engineering department at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and culminating at New England Journal of Medicine, where she helped select and edit articles about discoveries and advancements in the medical field. She was actively involved in town politics in Topsfield, Mass., and was an elected representative to the Democratic National Convention in 1968. This led to many spirited family conversations. Throughout her life Bee loved animals and many a stray cat and lost dog found sanctuary in her care. She could often be seen after work exercising her dogs up and down Duck Tree Hill, Topsfield, Mass. After Bee retired she built a home in Sargentville, with a view of the water and extensive grounds for her vegetable gardens. She would wake at 5:30 a.m., listen to the news on BBC and then work at clearing the land and working the garden. Bee was an organic gardener before the concept even existed, and was known for her annual batches of apricot jam that she made from her own apricot trees. She was keenly interested in anything connected with Maine, including ventures in a state-of-the-art sawmill, maple syrup production and development of green certified forestry practices in Maine woods. Although her health became more compromised in her later years, she was always forward thinking. Among her last purchases were a new computer, to replace the ones she had worn out, and an off-road vehicle in which to drive around her property – her beloved yellow lab, Vikki, riding shotgun. In addition to her dog, Vikki, she is survived by a large and devoted family, including her siblings, Nancy W. Biglow of Medina, Wash., David A. Wheatland of Cumberland Foreside, and Martha W. Lunt of Mount Desert; her nieces and nephews, Thomas P. Wheatland, Rebecca Wheatland, Lucius Biglow II, John R. Biglow, Timothy P. Biglow, Anne S. Biglow, Deborah S. Walter, Alice Stauffer and Peter O. Stauffer; and an extended family of cousins. She was predeceased by a younger sister, Sue Stauffer of Lafayette, Calif. In accordance with her wishes, no funeral service was held. Her ashes will be scattered by the family later this summer in her beloved Maine woods. Donations in her memory may be made to Maine Timberlands Charitable Trust, P.O. Box 187, Prides Crossing, MA 01965.
BARBARA ‘BEE’ WHEATLAND
