IN MEMORIAM: Mary Imogene Carter;

Named For Bassett Hospital’s Namesake

COOPERSTOWN – Mary Imogene Carter, R.N., named after Mary Imogene Bassett and retired nursing supervisor at that namesake hospital, passed away Thursday afternoon, Jan. 31, 2019, at Bassett with her family by her side. She was 93.

Born June 8, 1925, at Bassett Hospital, Imy was one of seven children of Charles A. Newell, Sr. and Mary Gavin Newell. Imy’s mother was raised by Dr. Mary Imogene Bassett, and it was in her honor that Imy was named. After graduating from Cooperstown Central School with the Class of 1941, Imy attended Hartwick College School of Nursing. Upon graduation she went to work at Bassett as a nurse.

In 1953, Imy met Rodman Dana Carter, M.D. while he was a Columbia University medical student on a rotation to Bassett. They were married April 18, 1958, in a ceremony in Cromwell, Conn., with Dr. Carter’s father officiating. The couple continued working at Bassett, he as a surgeon and urologist and she as a nurse.

During her tenure there, Imy taught many house officers on the fronts of surgical and emergency care until retiring as nursing supervisor in 1990. When Dr. Carter retired, he and Imy began spending winters in Palm Coast, Fla. Following a battle with cancer, Dr. Carter passed away Dec. 28, 2018.

Along with her husband, she was an ardent supporter of the Friends of Bassett, and was a former member of the Lake & Valley Garden Club and the Cooperstown Country Club.

Imy is survived by one daughter, Michelle “Micki” Weir of Cooperstown; two granddaughters, Dana Temp and fiancé James Habernig of Esperance and Shawna Tierney and husband, Patrick of Bristol, Maine; four great-grandchildren, Olivia Temp, and Fynnaghan, Liam and Angus Tierney; two sisters, Noreen Newell of Cooperstown, and Marion “Billie” Williams of Portland, Ore.; one sister-in-law, Caroline Wall of Yarmouth Port, Mass.; and many nieces and nephews.

In addition to her husband of 60 years, who preceded her in death only 34 days prior to her own, Imy was predeceased by a sister, Marjorie N. Strait, and three brothers, Charles A. Newell, Jr., Donald Newell and Roger Gavin Newell.

A private gathering will be held later this spring.

Memorial donations may be made to Friends of Bassett, 1 Atwell Road, Cooperstown, NY  13326.

Arrangements are under the care and guidance of the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown.