Betsey Patch Howland

Betsey Constance Patch HowlandBetsey Constance Patch Howland of Newark Valley died on June 6, 2015 at home on her farm, surrounded by family and friends. She was born on November 19, 1925, the youngest of the fifteen children of Robert C. and Miriam P. Patch of Berkshire. She married John N. Howland on January 1, 1947. John died July 26, 1981. She is survived by their five children, John, Robert, Timothy, Rebecca, and Susan, eleven grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.Education was her lifelong passion. She returned to school in 1969 to complete her B.S. that she began in 1941. She completed her Masters degree in 1979. She taught at Linnaeus W. West elementary school from 1973 to 1994. She was awarded a Fulbright Teacher Exchange Fellowship, serving in Felixstowe, England in 1984. She was deeply supportive of and honored by the educational achievements of her children, grandchildren, and students. The family is grateful to those who helped fulfill Betseys wish to remain in her own home, especially her niece Maryanne Settle, Gail and Lori Espe, Heather Wood and Ed Nizalowski.The family will host a gathering at MacPherson's Funeral Home on Monday, June 8, 2015 at 10:00 a.m., followed at 11:30 a.m. by a service and then burial at Hope Cemetery.In honor of Betseys passion for education and in lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Berkshire Free Library or the Newark Valley Historical Society.Memories and condolences may be written in Mrs. Howlands guestbook at macphersonfh.com