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Betty Whittaker

Betty Whittaker

Born In: Philadelphia
Born: November 30th, 1928

Passed on: February 27th, 2015

1928-2015
AUBURN, ME – Mary Elizabeth (Betty) Whittaker (nee Noftall), 86, formerly of Bath, Maine, passed away on Friday, February 27, 2015, with four generations of family by her side. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on November 30, 1928, the daughter of Ada (Silliker) and James Noftall. Betty attended Bath schools and graduated from Morse High School in 1947. At Morse she was a member of the Latin Club, and the National Honor Society. She played the clarinet in the band and orchestra. She enjoyed schoolwork, and other students sought her help. She fondly remembered the 1947 championship basketball team. After graduation she attended Gorham State Teachers College, class of 1951. She returned her senior year, but having married that summer, she decided she liked Dale more than college and chose to leave to start life with her husband. She never regretted the decision. On August 12, 1950, she married Dale Whittaker at St. Mary’s Church in Bath. Their first home was Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, Florida. She returned to Bath by train when the couple learned they were expecting twins. After her husband’s military service, they resided on Denny Road in Bath and remained there for most of their married life. Betty was a homemaker, actively raising three girls. She was a member of the PTA, a Brownie and Girls Scout Troup leader, and was involved with church committees. In 1968, she took a job at Bath Savings Institution where she was one of their customers’ favourite tellers until retiring 22 years later in 1990. Betty enjoyed camping with her family starting in the early 1960s. They travelled throughout New England, expanding to the Canadian Maritimes and Prince Edward Island, where her mother was born. They fell in love with PEI, deciding to buy land and build a cottage in Kildare. Receiving their Visas for immigration to Canada, they enlarged their cottage in 1992, and retired to enjoy the fields and sea. They lived there for 20 years. Living on Prince Edward Island was the joy of her life. There were social gatherings with friends like the “Breakfast Club”, meeting whenever possible. Betty loved vegetable and flower gardening. She knitted many sweaters for her grandchildren, creating keepsakes passed down from oldest to youngest. She loved letter writing, priding herself on her penmanship. She left a legacy of handwritten records depicting her life from birth to retirement. She was an avid reader and books were among her most cherished possessions. She was a loyal member of the Morse High School Alumni, traveling from PEI to attend class reunions. She religiously fed birds and kept track of visiting species. She counted 24 hummingbirds at her feeders, among a dozen gold finches. Betty was an animal lover. She fed a ‘pet’ fox at their home in Kildare. He sat on the porch looking for scraps, despite warnings from her more cautious friends. As their home became difficult to maintain, they moved to assisted living in Alberton where a deck allowed access to the birds and the outdoors. After Dale passed away, Betty moved back to Maine to reside with her daughter, Sharon and husband, Gary, in Auburn. She thoroughly enjoyed the summer gatherings, and holiday festivities attended by her large family. Her very special PEI friends kept in touch with her and she considered herself very blessed. Betty is remembered for her kindness, honesty, and generosity. She will be missed. She was predeceased by her husband; and her parents. She is survived by her brother, John (Maureen) Noftall, of Massachusetts; three daughters, Sharon (Gary) Mercier of Auburn, Karen Davis of Bath, and Susan Whittaker of Scarborough. Nine grandchildren, Sue Ann (John) Pace of Sabattus, Mark (Tina) Dodge of Eliot, David (Tiffany) Perry of Clearwater, Fl., Steven Marshall of Bath, Jennifer Dodge of Albany, NY, Deborah (Dana) Lord of Wiscasset and Virginia, Michael (Deanna) Dodge of Reading, MA., Peter Moulton of Lisbon Falls, and Eric (Kristen) Davis of Waldoboro; 24 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren; sister-in-law, Joyce Whittaker; and several nieces and nephews. Resting at the Rooney Funeral Home, Alberton. Visiting hours Friday, March 6, from 6 to 9 p.m. Funeral Saturday, morning from the Sacred Heart Church, Alberton, for funeral mass at 10:30 a.m. Interment later in the church cemetery. A reception to follow the funeral mass in the McCarville Room of the Sacred Heart Church. As an expression of sympathy, memorial donations stateside to the local animal shelter or to the Sacred Heart Cemetery Fund would be gratefully appreciated. A Memorial Mass, will be announced for early spring, at St. Mary's Church, Bath, Maine. www.rooneyfh.ca


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