Betty (Gebhard) DeWitt Obituary
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Frances Gebhard (Betty) DeWitt (Oberlin, Ohio), born March 23, 1923, in Auburn, New York, who passed away on February 9, 2021, at the age of 97. Leave a sympathy message to the family on the memorial page of Frances Gebhard (Betty) DeWitt.
She met her husband, Bill DeWitt, Jr., at Auburn’s Fulton Street Elementary School, and after World War II, accompanied him to Ithaca while he attended the first class at Cornell’s Industrial and Labor Relations School. Graduating from Auburn High School and Smith College, she was an active sailor, downhill skier, and loved to be on their cruising tugboat “Betty D.”
After moving from Auburn in 1965, she taught in the Michigan City, IN school system and was a Deacon in the Presbyterian church. Betty served for ten years as a member of the board of directors of the Salvation Army including serving as president of the board. Earlier she worked in the court system as director of volunteers for probation. In Oberlin, OH, where she retired in a Kendal facility, she participated in the Women's Study Fellowship and served on the board of directors of the Kendal and Oberlin Childhood Centers. Betty believed it was good to be open to new ways of thinking. She was thankful that God continued to bless her in revealing His promise each new day, bringing joy and fulfillment to her life.
She is survived by her four sons and their wives, David and Susan (Phillips) DeWitt (Grosse Pointe Woods, MI), Peter and Susan (Bromer) DeWitt (Chesterton, IN), Tom and Florence (Liddell) DeWitt (Cincinnati, OH), and Bill and Marcia DeWitt (Townsend) (Kennett Square, PA). She was preceded in death by her husband of 68 years, William J. (Bill) DeWitt, Jr. She had 12 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren.
Memorial and funeral services will not be held due to Covid. In lieu of flowers please donate in her name to your local Salvation Army