Stella S. Bartlett

Pelham -Stella Mae Cleora Svoboda Bartlett, 90, of Pelham, MA, died at home, Wednesday, May 23, 2018. She was born September 20, 1923 in Council Bluffs, Iowa to the late Richard T. Kissel and Mary Ella (Shannon) Kissel. She was predeceased by her husband Robert J. Bartlett and her sister Eva Jones of Karne, Kansas. Stella is survived by her 5 children: Karla Sue Davis, of Leyden, MA, Mary Lee, of Bernardston, MA, Steven Franklin Carl Svoboda of South Deerfield, MA, David Allen Svoboda, of Springfield, MA, and Christopher Shannon Bartlett, of Pelham, MA. She leaves 8 grandchildren, 4 stepchildren, 4 step-grandchildren, 2 nieces, and 1nephew. Stella worked as a bookkeeper, administrative assistant, and secretary in several locations over the years: For the Strategic Air Command, first at Offit Air Force Base in Omaha, NE, then transferred to Westover AFB locally. She worked with her first husband Carl, managing Mill Street Auto Body in Springfield, MA, while running her own beauty shop in Springfield before moving to the Amherst area, taking classes at Umass. She was a realtor for a number of years with D.H. Jones. Stella was an active member of several churches over the years: Trinity Methodist, in Springfield, MA, the North Leverett Baptist Church, in N. Leverett, MA, and the First Baptist Church of Amherst. She was a long-time volunteer at the Food Pantry in Amherst, the Cooley Dickinson Hospital, and support for cancer survivors. Mr. and Mrs. Bartlett were foster parents to over 200 children over the years in their Pelham home. Stella loved traveling, whether by car or RV, and saw much of the country with her family over the years. She enjoyed walking the woods in Pelham, along the brooks, to see the wildflowers, and birdwatch. She also loved reading, backgammon, and card games, and never met a dog she didn't want to adopt. In her much younger years she defied tradition, and donned men's clothing to drive stock cars in Council Bluffs, Iowa (as they went much faster than those of the women's “Powder Puff Derby”). She also learned to fly a small, single engine plane. She reported her love of speed was inherited from her father. In the last decade of her life, she bought and drove a Jaguar. Contributions in Stella's memory can be made to Dakin Animal Shelter in Leverett, MA, VNA and Hospice of Cooley Dickinson, in Northampton, MA, Adoption Journeys, Florence, MA. Services will be private. New England Funeral & Cremation Center, LLC, 25 Mill Street, Springfield is assisting the family. Visit www.nefcc.net

Stella S. Bartlett

September 20, 1927 - May 23, 2018