Nance D. Betze, DAR member
Nance D. Betze, 82, of Bridgeville and Rehoboth Beach, passed away peacefully Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, in Rehoboth Beach. She was born Aug. 1, 1930, in Philadelphia, Pa., daughter of late Harry C. and Elsie (Con-way) Davis; she was one of four children.
Nance attended the University of Delaware and graduated from the Katherine Gibbs School in New York City. After her father passed away, she returned home to Bridgeville to work in the family business, H.C. Davis and Son Inc. She was married to Stephen J. Betze, a history teacher and later principal, at Bridgeville High School in 1953. Nance was an avid reader and enjoyed her studies of history and language origins. She was a substitute teacher and a volunteer at the Bridgeville Public Library for many years.
Of all the things that Nance enjoyed the most, it was her family. She spent many hours reminiscing with family about fond childhood memories and tracing the family history back to the days prior to the Revolutionary War. Nance was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Mary Vining Chapter of Seaford.
She is preceded in death by her husband of 42 years, Stephen J. Betze. She is survived by her three children: Stephanie Williams and her husband, Allen J. Williams of Lewes, Richard S. J. Betze and his wife, Susan of Chapel Hill, N.C., and Claire Betze and her partner, Lindy Allen of Freeport, Me.; four grandchildren: Erin, Garrett, Alexa, and Jonathon; two sisters and one brother: Joan Huxford of Temecula, Calif., Dorothy “Dotty” Lewis of Wilmington, N.C., and Harry C. “Brud” Davis III of Bridgeville.
A graveside service attended by family members will be held at Bridgeville Cemetery. Arrangements are being handled by Parsell Funeral Homes & Crematorium, Bridgeville.
Flowers are gratefully declined. Should friends desire, memorials may be made to the Stephen J. Betze Scholarship Fund, c/o Delaware Technical & Community College, Jack F. Owens Campus, Business Office, PO Box 660, Route 18/Seashore Highway, Georgetown, DE 19947, or the Daughters of the American Revolution, Mary Vining Chapter, c/o Hope Huey, Treasurer, 1749 Oak Road, Bridgeville, DE 19933.
