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On Saturday, November 28, 2020, Mavis Falvey Nelson of Vero Beach, Florida, passed away at Cleveland Clinic Hospital in Vero Beach. She was predeceased by her loving husband of 52 years, Robert Falvey, her parents John and Charlotte Ward, her sons, Alan and Gerry Falvey, her brother, Stanley Ward, and sister, Muriel. She is survived by her loving husband of 10 years, Gene Nelson, her son and daughter-in-law Dennis and Gloria Falvey, daughters-in-law Kay Falvey and Kathy Falvey, step-daughters, Kara Nelson and Gina Nelson, eight grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, many nieces, nephews, cousins, and a much-loved West Highland Terrier of 14 years, Misty.
Mavis was born in Manchester, England. After graduating from High School, she married and moved to Bar Harbor, Maine. She also lived in Trenton, Maine; Brewer, Maine; Virginia Beach, Virginia; and Vero Beach, Florida.
Since Mavis’ early teen years, she loved to swim. She was on a swim team in England which took her to swim meets in the Netherlands. Once she moved to the United States, she continued to pursue her love of swimming and became the pool director at the Brewer, Maine pool, where she taught swimming lessons to her three sons and many others. She also formed a girls’ swim team in Brewer, Maine, which won many swim meets under her coaching. When living in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Mavis taught private swimming lessons and loved teaching her grandchildren to swim. She was also an aquatics director for the Jewish Community Center of Tidewater. After she and Bob retired and moved to Florida, Mavis continued to enjoy teaching swimming lessons and water aerobics classes. She became a certified aquatic program instructor for the Arthritis Foundation. Even in her advanced age, she continued to work with her great-grandchildren to improve their swimming strokes!
Mavis’ love of travel often took her back to England to visit her family and friends, Ireland, Hawaii, the Midwest, and the Caribbean. Her love of singing, dancing, and entertaining others brought her great joy. She enjoyed performing small skits at Heron Cay Community, which brought joy to others. Mavis loved life and enjoyed hosting family and friends in her home. She will be greatly missed by everyone!
Mavis’ family would like to express their deep and sincere thank you to all the doctors and nurses at the Cleveland Clinic Hospital in Vero Beach, Florida. They appreciate all their loving and compassionate care for her prior to and during her final hours.
A virtual Memorial Service will be held 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 8, 2020. You can attend this service by accessing the zoom link below, utilizing Meeting ID: 977 709 9374
Thomas S. Lowther Funeral Home & Crematory – Memorial Service
The link will allow access to the service 10 minutes prior to the start time of the service.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the American Cancer Society, 3375 20th St. Suite 100, Vero Beach, FL 32960 or https://donate3.cancer.org/
Arrangements are by Thomas S. Lowther Funeral Home & Crematory, Vero Beach.
© 2024 Lowther Funeral Home. All Rights Reserved.
Ricky Blazavich - Friend of family
December 5, 2020, 2:02 pm
To Dennis and family, I am so very sorry for your loss. I’m glad to have met Mavis on a few occasions. She was a wonderful person. Thinking of you all, and praying for her soul. My deepest sympathies, Rick Blazavich
Leigh Stymiest - Neighbor & Brewer swim team member
December 6, 2020, 4:36 am
Dennis, I’m sorry to hear of your mom’s passing. She will always be remembered of being a neighbor, coach and great teacher of the things she loved most. Wish I had known she was down here and just on the other coast. Prayers to you and your family during this time.
Patty Young Philbrook - Swim team. Brewer
December 6, 2020, 10:59 am
I am so sorry For your loss. She was such a good teacher. I was one of her students on that swim team. It is a wonderful memory of my childhood.
Barbara (Wood) Kenney - Swim team member
December 6, 2020, 6:25 pm
So sorry for your loss. Mavis was a remarkable woman! I was on her swim team in Brewer and those were such wonderful memories. Some of the best times of my life. I believe I recall that she had swum the English Channel also. Quite a woman she was. Glad to know she continued to teach the love of swimming the rest of her life.
Joan Kenney
December 7, 2020, 2:17 am
I met Mavis at Living Lord Luther Church in Vero Beach and enjoyed speaking with her after services, especially at hospitality. I am very sorry for your loss.
Kagen Falvey - Great granddaughter
December 7, 2020, 7:06 pm
Me and my family are all very sad that such a fantastic and enjoyable woman had to leave our lives. This gonna be a hard time for all of us especially with everything else that going on in the world right now. Praying for all of you. ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————Love- Kagen,Lauren,Champ and Kenzie Falvey
Ann & Scott - Niece
December 8, 2020, 4:43 pm
What a blessing you were to our family from for a moment that we arrived from England you were the place that we came to. Thank you for always being our only family here in the United States. We are blessed to have spent so many wonderful times together creating great memories. Thank you for your wonderful newsy Christmas letters keeping us up-to-date on all the wonderful things your family was doing. We will miss you
Allan Ward - Nephew
December 8, 2020, 5:12 pm
Sorry to hear about Auntie Mavis’s death. She always visited when in England and had tales of the family and her travels. She was always interested in her English relations and kept in touch.
Ian walsh - nephew
December 8, 2020, 6:48 pm
My sincere condolences to Dennis and Gloria and all the family. I will always remember Mavis as she taught me to swim when i was about 9-10 years old. She was a very confident and energetic woman. It was nice to meet up with Mavis and Bob after many years when we met up with them in England at their caravan near Lytham-St annes. It was sad for her when Bob died,he was a very nice man. Very sad that this terrible Covid took her life. My thoughts with all her loved ones today.
Hannah Staley - Great Niece
December 10, 2020, 1:35 pm
Auntie Mavis was very dear to me and I’m so very sorry to hear of her passing. She had such a lust for life and was a very fun and positive person. I remember Mavis and Bob visiting our family in Manchester whenever they traveled to England. My very first trip to the United States was to stay with Mavis and Bob in Virginia Beach where she taught me how to dive and summersault in their pool. Years later while I was studying in Alabama, Mavis and Bob invited me and 2 friends to stay with them in Vero Beach for ‘Spring Break’ . My friends and I had a lot of fun playing Bingo, Line Dancing and doing water aerobics with her. She will be missed.