Obituary of Edith Appelgate Bilson

Edith "Spud"Appelgate Bilson, 98, of Morgantown and formerly of New Jersey, passed away early Tuesday morning, September 24, 2013 at the residence of her daughter and son-in-law with whom she made her home. She was born in Cedar Grove, NJ on September 6, 1915, a daughter of the late Joseph Appelgate and the late Hermine (Munkelt) Appelgate. Survivors include her daughter and son-in-law, Charlotte and Kirk Haas of Morgantown; five grandchildren, Brant Haas of Morgantown, Christa Haas Bierma and her husband Eddie of Annandale, VA, Derek Haas and his wife Kristen of Jersey City, NJ, Jed Haas of Portland, OR and Kara Haas of Morgantown; five great-grandchildren, Jasmine Haas of Morgantown, Peter, Andrew and Patrick Bierma of Annandale, VA, and Dylan Haas of Jersey City, NJ; and two siblings, Stanley Appelgate of Jerome, PA and Helena Wines of Mt. Airy, MD. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, W. David Bilson in 1971; a son, David Bilson; and three siblings, Robert Appelgate, Bessie Bell Appelgate Elia and Joseph Appelgate. Edith retired from Formflex Foundations in Saddle Brook, NJ at the age of 79 when the plant closed. She was involved in many aspects of life at Hawthorne Gospel Church in New Jersey, especially its Library, prison work and bulletin work. She moved to West Virginia in 2007 and volunteered daily at Christian Help in their food pantry. She attended Trinity Episcopal Church in Morgantown, and was named "One of the 100 Most Influential People in Morgantown" in 2010 by The Dominion Post, and Monongalia County Volunteer of the Year in 2012. No local visitation will be held. A graveside committal service will be held on Saturday, September 28, 2013 at 10:30 AM at the Laurel Grove Cemetery in Totowa, NJ. A local memorial service will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church in Morgantown on Saturday, October 5th at 2:00 PM with the Reverends Michael Hadaway and Kirk Haas officiating. A reception with a time to share Spud stories will follow immediately after the service in Trinity's Strider Hall. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Edith's memory may be directed to Christian Help, 219 Walnut St., Morgantown, WV 26505. Hastings Funeral Home of Morgantown is assisting the family with the arrangements. Send condolences online at www.hastingsfuneralhome.com.