Contributions to the tribute of Jean Sheppard Silva

Jean Sheppard Silva

1927 - 2020

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Bob McMaster uploaded photo(s)

Saturday, January 2, 2021

My first summer at Camp Becket in 1975 was an experience I have never forgotten. It was a beautiful place of course. But it was steeped in traditions and there were so many bits of Becket lore that took me a while to understand: What is an automat? Who was Henry Gibson? And why do they call the program director Moose? It was overwhelming at first, but the goodness, the friendliness, the encouragement of the staff and campers soon won me over. And none were friendlier or more encouraging than Moose and Lady Moose. When I brought my concerns about one thing or another to Moose during that intense first summer, he would smile, shrug his shoulders, and reassure me that all would be fine. He always had a twinkle in his eye that told me, “Bob, relax, it’s only summer camp, it’s not the end of the world.” And Lady Moose had a ready smile and an interest in nature, literature, and music. I spent many pleasant evenings at Moose Lodge that summer, times of laughter and lots of good conversation. I was a teacher in those days, and the Mooses were both involved in public schools, and we often shared our enthusiasm and occasional frustration about teaching. Moose as I recall was president of the teachers’ union in his system and had some strong opinions about public education, particularly about school administrators, opinions that I shared. I knew Kathy and Martha as well, and I seem to recall that they were known as the Mooselettes (or was it the Mooseleteers?). I think I met Mark once in those years too when he visited the camps. And I was touched and honored to be invited to Martha’s wedding, although I must now offer a heartfelt confession. I was given just one assignment that day, just one task, and that was to ring the bell as the bride and groom left the church. Somehow I missed my cue, and was sitting in my pew watching the procession leaving the church at the end of the service. As Jean and Bernie passed my pew, Jean shot me a look of alarm and made a very vigorous rope-pulling gesture with both hands. I got the message and ran to my post, hopefully just in the nick of time to ring the church bell. If I was late, Martha, I apologize! In 1977 I moved out to Becket to try to get the Outdoor Center going. I lived for a time in the Brewster House which was equipped with a small floor furnace but had walls and windows that were like sieves. After Nancy and I married in 1981, we lived in that ice cave for one winter, and Moose and Lady Moose visited and cross-country skied with us. But I think they found the guest room a little too cold and I couldn’t blame them. After all, when the wind blew out of the northwest it came through the cracks around the window frames and left little piles of snow on the sills and floor! Kathy visited us out there on several occasions as well and as I recall participated in some of the winter events that came to be known as “hibernal hilarity.” The Mooses’ move to Maine and their lovely home in Camden seemed like a retirement dream come true as they planned it in their last summer at Becket. I’m sorry that I never got to visit until after Bernie was gone. Susan and I stayed with Jean twice as I recall, once on our way to New Brunswick, and my sister Sue and I stayed on another occasion. The house was as lovely as I had imagined, Jean was the most cordial of hosts, and she regaled us with stories of her Camden life, her church and particularly her choir and their travels. She and her chorus once performed at Smith College, perhaps in 1995 or 1996, and Susan and I attended. It was a very difficult piece entirely in Russian, but they performed it magnificently. I want Kathy, Martha, and Mark to know how important Jean and Bernie were in my life, both in my Becket years and later. They were the mature adults in a community full of boys (big and small) and we needed their maturity, their steadiness. For me they always felt accessible and supportive, ready with a smile and reassurance. I’m sure there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of former campers and staff members who remember very fondly the Antlered One and Lady Moose of Bubble’s Bath! However belated, I want to offer my condolences to Kathy, Mark, Martha, and the entire family. Sincerely, Bob McMaster

Paul Machlin posted a condolence

Thursday, September 3, 2020

I joined the Becket staff in 1966, one year after the Mooses. Jean was a vital link for me to the camp's culture, helping me with integrating into it in ways both large and small. Music was always a major part of her life, and we bonded over that connection between us. Before I had a car at camp, we'd spend Sunday afternoons listening to the broadcast of concerts from Tanglewood on the porch of her and Bernie's cabin. Later, we forged another connection; I became a professor at Colby College, her alma mater. One of the photos that's recently been shared among former staff members is from an alumni weekend, I think in 2010. It is a picture of a group of singers at the camp's chapel, including Jean, and I'm saying something (I forget what) to the congregation. But the idea of having a performance by an alumni chorus that weekend was, if I recall, Lady Moose's. She was the consummate musician: she not only had learned the music cold -- for any and all her performances, I'm certain -- but she understood the ways in which choral singing could be taken as a metaphor for community. You maintain your individuality through the unique sound of your own voice, but at the same time you support, add to, assist, and bring harmony to the larger enterprise. I always thought that in many ways, that's what the Becket of our years was all about. I miss her; I hope the Becket ideals she embodied continue to animate camp life, even as they seem in short supply out in the real world. And I send my deepest condolences to all the Silvas. Paul Machlin Arnold Bernhard Professor of Arts and Humanities, Emeritus, Colby College

Jim Finkelstein posted a condolence

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

I would like to celebrate the life of Jean Silva. What a wonderful woman who lived a simple, caring and beautiful life. I got to know Jean and her husband Bernie through my affiliation at YMCA Camp Becket (now the Becket Chimney Corners YMCA). We sang in chapel services together at camp, and as a staff member, I spent many nights at "Moose Lodge" (Jean and Bernie were affectionately referred to as Bernie and Lady Moose) just talking. Jean and Bernie were there for me as I lost my dad at a young age. In many ways, they were both a guide for me in my younger life. I remember the memorial service at camp for Bernie when I sang his favorite song "Becket Is" and made eye contact with Jean while singing. Her warm and caring eyes, her spirit and her love brought me to tears almost to the point that I couldn't finish. We hugged and sobbed together afterwards. I only wish I could have known her better in her Maine life. I did stay connected but we never stayed connected enough. I so appreciate everything she did for me and others.... and I send my heartfelt condolences to Mark, Mary and Martha and their families and to anyone who knew Jean and loved her as I did. A beautiful woman. A life well lived. RIP Lady Moose. With love and appreciation, Jim Finkelstein