Betty M. Bartlett

Betty Bartlett (née Campbell) passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family, on July 27, 2023.

Born in Princeton, Maine, on July 25, 1941, Betty was raised in Calais, Maine, and spent most of her life in New Hampshire. The eldest of seven children, Betty helped care for her younger siblings, as she did for many others throughout her life.

Betty embodied kindness, laughter, patience, and mightiness all at once within her petite frame. She was an advocate and a constant source of support for those who were lucky to love her.

Betty married Ralph Bartlett, her childhood sweetheart and love of her life. In their 67 years of marriage, they shared a love of fun, and many adventures-and occasional misadventures-ensued. She was a lifelong nature and animal lover. She enjoyed cross-country skiing among the mountains and forests, and fishing and boating on the lakes and sea throughout New England. The Campbell family "camp" at Big Lake in Princeton, Maine, was a particularly special place for her, and she treasured time spent with her family there.

The occasion of Betty and Ralph's 50th wedding anniversary celebration ushered in a new family reunion tradition, and she very much looked forward to these annual gatherings in Portland, Maine. In her later years, she chronicled family narratives and documented recipes out of great respect for and interest in history and tradition. An experience that she valued was an ancestry trip to Bartlett and Campbell family heritage sites along the coast of Maine and southern Canada.

Curious and industrious, Betty was always quick to pick up new skills and knowledge. She spent much of her early career in the hospitality industry, working as food service director at Rockingham Nursing home for many years, and occupying similar roles with the University of New Hampshire and Presidential Oaks (formerly Odd Fellows Home), in Concord. Food-preparing it, sharing and enjoying it, and talking about it-was central to how Betty expressed love. A visit to her home meant that you would be comforted by her warmth, buoyed by her quick humor, and sated with plenty of coffee and delicious treats. Betty transitioned careers later in life. Being a sympathetic listener, hairdressing was a natural fit. She trained as a cosmetologist with her daughter Margaret, and later owned a hairdressing business in Bristol, New Hampshire, where she worked alongside her daughter Lisa. Betty's incredible work ethic influenced her son, Ralph, as well.

She was a member of Grace Bible Church of the White Mountains, and volunteered for service programs. Betty was very grounded in her faith. Her spirituality and the church community were sources of strength and peace through difficult losses and hardships. Throughout her long fight with chronic heart failure, Betty inspired her family and medical staff with her positivity and determination.

Betty is predeceased by her daughter, Lisa Girouard, and her sister, Shirley D'Eufemia. She is survived by her beloved husband, Ralph Bartlett; children Margaret Hayden and her husband Robert, Ralph Bartlett and his wife Amy, and her son-in-law George Girouard; grandchildren Erika Hayden, Robert Hayden, Bo Dunham, Edward Girouard, Alyssa Bartlett, and Emma Bartlett; great-grandchildren Wyatt, Lucy, and Charlie; sisters Sally Gerrish, Mary Dixon, Elsie Hillman, Marjorie McLellan, and brother George Campbell; as well as numerous loving in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and dear friends.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the American Heart Association or the Epilepsy Foundation New England.

Family and friends are invited to join in Betty's memorial service on August 3, 2023, at 11:00 am at Grace Bible Church of the White Mountains (259 Route 25, Wentworth, New Hampshire, 03282). For family and friends who are unable to attend in person, the service will be live-streamed at https://youtube.com/live/dwvHFwKl5hQ?feature=share .