Bea Breen was in search of a way to support the country and its troops during World War II, so she signed on at the American Red Cross in downtown Atlanta.
She joined a knitters' group that was stitching and sewing caps and casket blankets for injured soldiers being treated at Lawson General Hospital in Chamblee. When the group of knitters dwindled, she took over the charity's volunteer program, then grew it and nurtured it for more than 60 years.
"She conducted herself and treated it as if she had a paid position with the American Red Cross," said Jody Franco, a daughter from Sandy Springs. "Her commitment to the American Red Cross and her family took up most of her time."
Rebecca "Bea" Kulbersh Breen died Friday of natural causes at her home in Sandy Springs. She was 99. A private ceremony has been held at Ellman Chapel at Ahavath Achim Synagogue in Atlanta. Dressler's Jewish Funeral Care handled arrangements.
Mrs. Breen was born near the old Fulton County stadium and graduated from Girls High School. She worked as an administrative secretary and earned a real estate license, but never entered the profession.
She was a young bride, in her 20s, when she began volunteering for the American Red Cross. Decades later her adult children realized the extent of what this last surviving child of Russian immigrants had undertaken so long. Thousands of blankets, sweaters and such were donated to local hospitals and shipped to disaster areas around the world.
"Growing up, seeing mother knitting was such a part of her presence that we never paid much attention to it," said Dr. Lester Breen, a son from Sandy Springs. "Then we started asking questions."
The adult children were impressed with their mother's methodical approach to the program. How she kept information on each volunteer stored on index cards in a metal box. How she logged their length of service and the type garments they knitted. How she delivered yarn to knitters, collected their finished pieces, sewed on buttons when needed and washed them.
"I asked her one time why she washed everything again," Mrs. Franco said. "She told me they had to be perfect."
In 1999, she received an 11-Alive Community Service Award followed by a "1,000 Points of Light" commendation, an honor established by former President George H.W. Bush. She was an American Red Cross volunteer of the year and the organization named its knitting program for her.
The master bridge player and Braves fan took the attention in stride.
"She acted like it wasn't all that important," her son said, "but I think she really took a sense of pride in what this program accomplished. Even if nobody else knew it, she knew it."
The children plan to keep her metal container of index cards.
"It was her spreadsheet," her daughter said. ‘We're not parting with this. This was a real job to her."
Additional survivors include four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
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