Bea M. Canfield was a self-made, self-educated woman.  One of thirteen children raised during the depression, her grandparents instilled in her a
good work ethic and the value of working together to reach a common goal. Bea quit high school at the age of sixteen to join the work force.  She
continued to work until her retirement in 1980. Although not blessed with a lot of formal education, Bea made it a point
to learn throughout her life. She was an avid reader and passed her love of learning onto her children and grandchildren.
Bea and her husband Homer moved to Erie in 1950, where they raised a blended family while pursuing their individual careers.
Bea was a saleswoman for many of her early adult years.  Selling everything from shoes and appliances at Montgomery Ward to cosmetics
door-to-door.

She opened the Royale Lady Maternity Shoppe in Kearsarge in the early 1960's, providing a retail option for pregnant women not previously
available in Erie.  The business prospered and moved to larger quarters in the Colony Plaza in Millcreek.  Bea remained proprietor until selling the
business in the mid 1970's. By that time, her career as a TV hostess has taken off.  Bea's introduction to the Erie viewing public, came in 1966.  Her original half hour show aired one day a week.  On the other four days, the time slot was filled with a syndicated talk show out of New York City.
As Bea's popularity grew, her local show went to three days a week and eventually five days a week.

During her daily shows, Bea brought all aspects of the Erie community to her viewers.  Any event from a church card party to the Miss Erie County
Pageant was deserving of air time.  Her shows were entertaining, informational and educational.

Bea was also a presence in the community.  All of her public appearances were done on her own time and she rarely turned down an opportunity to
lend her name to a deserving event. Bea Canfield took the best of Erie and sent it out over the air waves. She was very well-known in the tri-state area and will always be one of Erie's brightest stars.

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