Patricia Bell Cuddy, 54, volunteer

Patricia Bell Cuddy, 54, of Rosemont, a mother and active volunteer, died Saturday, May 16, of cancer at Bryn Mawr Hospital.

A marketing employee for Subaru, she retired in 2000 to raise her two children and become active as a volunteer for various groups and institutions.

She made a mark as a volunteer at the Shipley School in Rosemont, head of school Steve Piltch wrote in a letter posted May 18 on its website.

"Bright, committed, and compassionate, Tricia approached everything she did with courage and grace. A longtime volunteer at Shipley, she did everything she could to be of help to us. Especially passionate about the arts, she spent a great deal of time working with our Fine Arts Committee," Piltch said in the letter.

"I was always impressed by her optimism and upbeat nature. Tricia always saw the good in others and found a way to make a difference without bringing notice to herself," Piltch wrote.

Mrs. Cuddy worked hard as a volunteer for the nonprofit Minding Your Mind. The group provides mental health education to young people, their parents, teachers, and school administrators, according to its website.

She also taught religious education at Our Mother of Good Counsel Parish in Bryn Mawr.

Mrs. Cuddy served as a docent for the Barnes Foundation when it was based in Merion and after it moved to Center City.

"She loved to open the eyes of children to the way [Albert C.] Barnes viewed art and the world," her family said in a prepared statement.

Mrs. Cuddy instilled in her family "an appreciation for art, books, beauty, learning, music, and generosity," her family said.

She is survived by her husband, Gerard; sons Gerard Payton Bell and Graham Paris Bell; her parents, Alice and Thomas Bell; five brothers; a sister; and many nieces and nephews.

Services were Friday, May 22. Interment was private.

Memorial contributions may be made to Minding Your Mind, 124 Sibley Ave., Ardmore, Pa. 19003, or to A Love for Life, 117 N. Lincoln Ave., Newtown, Pa. 18940.

610-313-8102