EDITH MCCORMICK BEARDALL, 99, 1111 S. Lakemont Ave., Winter Park, died Sunday, May 18. Mrs. Beardall was a homemaker. Born in Milwaukee, she moved to Central Florida in 1958. She was a member of All Saint Episcopal Church. Mrs. Beardall was also a member of Colonial Dames. Survivors: sono, Geoffrey B., Winter Park; daughter, Edith B. Hardcastle, Easton, Md.; nine grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren.

Mrs. John R. Beardall - Edith - was also a member of the Third Friday Book Club - the longest running book club in the history of Central Florida. She is first listed in the October 1955 member list and the last mention was 22 years later with a note "Resigned Jan 1977." Read more about the Third Friday Book Club at OrlandoMemory.info http://orlandomemory.info/memory/organization/third-friday-book-club

An interesting newspaper article written by Mark Andrews, published in the Orlando Sentinel on July 7, 1989, on the cover of the Winter Park section, mentioned Edith and her late husband. Here are brief excerpts of the story concerning a valuable book donated to the Winter Park Library book sale.

BOOK DONATED TO LIBRARY WAS SIGNED BY ROOSEVELT
[A]mong piles of books given by the family of the late Navy Adm. Jack Beardall was a treasure - a numbered and autographed copy of a collection of speeches by President Franklin D. Roosevelt... The book is numbered in FDR's hand as the 39th of a limited printing of only 75 copies. It was autographed "For Jack Beardall with a Happy Christmas from Franklin D. Roosevelt"... Beardall, brother of former Orlando Mayor William Beardall, was Roosevelt's Naval aide from 1940 to early 1942, then served as superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis for the next three years. Seymour contacted the Beardall family to determine if they really wanted to give up the book. Beardall's widow, Edith, and his sons, John Jr. and Geoffrey, were not aware that the autographed edition had been among the books donated to the library [Winter Park Library]. However, family members said they wanted the library to have it and to receive any money that would come from its sale...