Elizabeth “Betty” Anne Petkus died peacefully in her sleep on Saturday, September 13 at her daughter’s home in West Tisbury, MA, surrounded by family. She was 98.
Betty was born on August 24,1927 in Bronxville, NY, the only child of Jack and Kitty Busher. She graduated from the Ursuline School in New Rochelle, NY, before attending Marymount College in Tarrytown, NY.
In April 1948, she married Dr. John A. Petkus, M.D., and settled in Shohola, a small town in the Poconos of Pennsylvania, on the Delaware River just across from Barryville, NY. It’s there where she raised her five children, as well as assisting her husband with his new family medical practice. His office was attached to the family home, and she helped him deliver many late-night babies.
As her family grew and got older, she became the de facto chauffeur for not only her children, but many of their friends. Her wood-paneled Ford station wagon was always on the go, with a car full of kids.
She and her husband retired to Sun City, FL, and she remained there for many years, even after his passing in 2006. In 2014, she moved to her daughter Donna’s home in West Tisbury on Martha’s Vineyard, MA, where she lived until her death.
Betty loved being with people and never missed a chance to get together with friends and family for dinner and drinks. A cocktail by the pool or at the beach was her idea of an afternoon well spent.
She was predeceased by her parents and her husband. She is survived by her son Michael Petkus and his wife Hope of Punta Gorda FL; her daughter Donna Petkus of West Tisbury, MA, who was also her longtime caregiver while living on Martha’s Vineyard; her son Kenneth Petkus of Chilmark, MA; her daughter Patricia Petkus of Narrowsburg, NY; and her daughter Maureen Petkus of Barryville and Vero Beach FL; as well as 10 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be on Friday evening, September 19, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Harrison Rasmusson Funeral Home in Barryville, and on Saturday, September 20 from 9 p.m. to 9:30 a.m. A Mass of Christian burial will be held on Saturday, September 20 at 10 a.m. at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Shohola. Burial will follow in the parish cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, all are asked to donate to the hospice of VNA of Cape Cod - Martha’s Vineyard, 49 State Road, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568.
Arrangements are entrusted to the Harrison Rasmussen Funeral Home of Barryville, 3412 Rte. 97, Barryville, NY 12719.