WESTFIELD – Elizabeth Anne Gaylord (Betsy) formerly of Southwick and Westfield, MA, passed away on March 14th, 2025. Born in White Plains, NY in 1930, she grew up in Bridgewater and Brockton, MA before moving to Westfield. She was the daughter of the late Nelson and Eloine Marshman and was predeceased by her husband and love of her life, Richard Noble Gaylord, Jr. after 60 years of marriage. Her sister Jean (Jim) Dickerson and her brother Bob (Pat) Marshman also predeceased her.
She leaves a daughter Donna (Sherril), sons Rick (Cindy) and Bob (Tammy), six grandsons, Matt (Heather), Tim (Katharine), Dan (Laura), Scott (Megan), Jack (Kelli), and Drew (Lauren), four great-grandchildren, Grayson, Brooklyn, Desiree and Wesley, as well as a niece and many nephews.
Betsy graduated from UMASS, Amherst and also studied at the Merrill Palmer School in Detroit, MI for early childhood education. She was a former kindergarten teacher in Westfield at Abner Gibbs, Moseley, and Ashley St. schools before raising three children.
Betsy was an enthusiastic member of the community and volunteered at Noble Hospital for over 40 years, first in their gift shop and then as a flower designer. She was on the first board of the Dewey House and chairman of the selection committee for the Citizen’s Scholarship Foundation for many years, then worked for StanHome Products for 13 years evaluating scholarships for their employees in the U.S. She also volunteered for the Holyoke Department of Social Services, reviewing case studies and was an active longtime member of PEO, a philanthropic and educational organization, as well as a member of the Hopefully Well Affected Club since 1972.
Active in the First Congregational Church in Westfield, she was a former Sunday School teacher, deaconess, member of the decorating committee and member of women’s fellowship.
May Day was her favorite holiday! Making May baskets for friends and neighbors was pure delight. She loved to entertain family and friends and enjoyed theorem painting and making special crafts and gifts. Summers were spent at the Gaylord Island cottage in Otis, waterskiing, swimming and rowing.
Her life was spent patterned after her favorite poem:
Let me share my cup of joy each day
With family and friends
And drink with full and grateful heart
The pleasures that life sends.
Let me live each year to the fullest,
Finding beauty in all things
And answering the challenge
That every moment brings.
And let me embrace each season of life
With its share of joy and sorrow,
Delighting in the rewards of today,
The promise of tomorrow. (Burrow)
A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held on May 31st at 11:00 a.m. at First Congregational Church, 18 Broad Street, Westfield, MA.
Burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to Betsy Gaylord’s scholarship for CSFWestfield Dollars for Scholars, P.O. Box 382, Westfield, MA 01086.
Grateful thanks to the staff at The Atrium and Hospice for their kind and loving care during these past few months.
