Bethany A. Comella

LYONS/PALMYRA: Comella, Bethany A.; died on Tuesday, January 2, 2024 at the age of 39. Family and friends are invited to call from 2-5pm on Saturday, January 6 at the Robert L. Yost Funeral Home, Inc., 123 W. Main St., Palmyra. A funeral service will be held at 2pm on Sunday, January 7 at Zion Episcopal Church, 120 E. Main St., Palmyra followed be a reception in the church hall. Entombment will be at 1pm on Monday, January 8 at White Haven Memorial Park, Pittsford. Please meet at the main gate. In lieu of flowers please consider memorials to Common Threads Newark c/o Sarah Humphrey, 308 Woodside Dr., Newark, NY 14513. (checks payable to Common threads) to help cover the cost of insurance and obtain nonprofit status OR to the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA), https://ocrahope.org/about/.

     Bethany graduated from St. Michael School in 1998 where she received too good an education and spent most of her ten years there challenging authority and being a general pain. She graduated from Newark High School in 2002 where she continued to challenge authority and be a general pain, but also participated extensively in band, choir, jazz band, drama and was editor of the school paper. She also enjoyed her time with Teenage Republicans, which is hilarious in hindsight but to be fair she was bribed with ice cream sundaes and an evening at the Newark Country Club.

     College brought her to Wooster, Ohio (NOT Massachusetts), where she obtained a degree in History in 2006 and lived in both the Russian and German program houses. She made lifelong friendships there and enjoyed her time as a “Fighting Scot” in the kilted marching band. She obtained her Master’s Degree in International Studies from St. John Fisher in 2012 after which she moved back to Newark before purchasing her little house in Lyons.

     If you knew Bethany, you knew that she loved to travel and had visited half the United States and fourteen countries. A trip to Newfoundland in June 2022 made it a recent favorite destination and she hoped to return. Her favorite country was Ireland, which she visited four times, most recently at Christmas time in 2022. Her favorite places in the U.S. include Boston and Cape Cod (especially to visit her DeMarco cousins), the Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway and the American Southwest, which ignited her love of travel in the late 90’s.

     Bethany’s diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer in 2021 brought her world to a screeching halt but she attacked it in true Bethany fashion. Bethany would especially like to thank Dr. Katz, Dr. Kleiner, Dr. Mager, Dr. Campos, Tracy Heffron and all the staff at Interlakes Oncology in Geneva.

    Bethany is survived by her amazing parents, Jim and Nancy Comella; brother Bryan; kitty Oreo and Rosie the Goldenddodle; several aunts, uncles, cousins; godparents Dave and Darlene Abein; “bonus family” Elia Mazza and Ron Iannucci and their families. She will be missed by close friends Emily, Ashley, Jessica and others, including her co-workers at Wayne County Soil a nd Water. She was predeceased by grandparents Ray and Shirley Shelters and Phill and Mary Comella, as well as furry friends Shannon, Skeezer, Brandi, Sawyer and Pumpkin. She will be remembered by her Risen Christ Lutheran Church, Zion Episcopal Church and Park Presbyterian Church families.

        Bethany hopes that she is remembered for her kindness, her humor, her bravery, and her unrelenting belief that Donald Trump belongs in Federal prison. She also wants Emily to know how sorry she still is for spoiling the ending to Game of Thrones for her.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Bethany A. Comella, please visit our floral store.