Betty was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 50 and she battled the disease for 10 years. She was eager to embrace every new treatment offered and seemed to bounce back from every setback. She was so optimistic – there was always another boat trip to go on, country to explore or event that could not be missed.

Betty was a person who wanted everything perfected right down to the last detail so it was no surprise when, once she realized that all her avenues to recovery had been exhausted, she asked her sister Sharon to come to Boston to help her find “just the right” burial spot. Together they found a beautiful old cemetery which is also a bird sanctuary. There was a small old wooden chapel and countless birds twittering in the trees. Betty passed away in January 2000 and the memorial service was held in the small chapel. She now rests under a lovely big willow tree.

A few years after graduating from SCI, Betty married Mardell Grothe and moved to North Dakota. She worked at several different university campuses while Marty continued his studies. She had two children, Hilary and Jordan. Betty and Marty divorced and Betty was on her own raising the children for the next 7 years.

Betty met and married Bill Roesner, an architect and together they bought a grand old house in Newton – a suburb of Boston – which they meticulously restored to its original state.

Betty and Bill owned a sailboat and Betty became an accomplished sailor and had many tales about surviving a huge storm off the coast of Nova Scotia; being accosted by pirates in the Caribbean and close encounters with freighters and drug runners. The sailboat was moored in Cape Cod and many good times were had just spending time on the boat and enjoying Cape Cod.

Betty’s daughter Hilary is married and lives in Greater Boston. Her son Jordan is a chef and lives in San Francisco.