Bea Canfield was born August 11, 1918 in Mercer County. Her father, Forrest Wilson, was sent to France with the occupation forces shortly after her conception. Her mother, Ida Jewell Wilson, succumbed to the flu during the epidemic in 1920. As an 18 month old toddler, she went to live with her grandparents becoming the 13th child raised by Ida and George B. Jewell.

Bea remembered her early years fondly surrounded by her loving aunts, uncles and grandparents. Her father returned from France shortly after her mothers death, but she never again lived with him. As with most American families, the great depression brought hardship and poverty. Bea attended school until she was 16 and then quit to go to work to help support her family. Her first job was as a nanny on the Main Line in Philadelphia. She was married in 1940 and gave birth to a son in 1941.

He died at three months old. Her oldest daughter was born in 1943. Bea was then divorced from her first husband in 1945. She returned to the labor force, working her way up to regional manager for a national cosmetics company.

During this time she met and married Homer Canfield, a Navy Veteran with two young daughters. The new family set up housekeeping in Meadville, moving to Kearsarge in 1950. Homer began working out of their basement while Bea raised the couples children which included a daughter and son born in the mid 1950s.

In 1957, the family moved to an old farmhouse in Waterford. Homer opened his own tool and die business while Bea renovated the house. In the early 1960s, she became the proprietor of The Royale Lady Maternity Shop. A successful enterprise she owned and opperated until the mid 1970s.

Her retail experience led her to a second career. As she told the story, a salesman from WICU TV approached her about advertising with the NBC affiliate. She was, at that time, advertising with WSEE TV on The Jeanne Carnes Show. It was shortly after telling the WICU representative that their was no appropriate programming on his station that the management approached Bea about hosting a women's show. Her first half hour segment aired in 1966. She originally appeared one day a week moving to three and then five. Her show aired five days a week until her retirement in 1980.

In addition to working to make her show a success, Bea became active in Erie society. She used her show as a forum to educate her viewers about Erie's growing medical community, cultural events in the tri-state area and providing free advertising for worthwhile charity organizations. She was a self educated woman and her program gave her the opportunity to continue learning and sharing that information with the Erie public.

The people of Erie embraced Bea for her graciousness and ability to make everyone feel at home wether in her own house or in front of the television camera.

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