Eizabeth Stephens Rouner

Elizabeth (Betsy) Stephens Rouner, of Center Ossipee, New Hampshire died quietly on March 7, 2012 at the age of 85, at Forest View Manor in Meredith, where she had been cared for during the last months of her illness. Betsy was born on July 31, 1926 in Portland, Maine, the daughter of the Rev. Dr. Arthur Acy and Elizabeth (Stephens) Rouner. She grew up in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and attended the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. She went on to graduate from Goucher College, in Baltimore, Maryland, and to receive a master's degree from Columbia University, in New York City.
Betsy spent 35 years as a teacher and administrator at schools in England, New Zealand, New York City, and Boston, as well as in Salmon Falls, Maine and Gilford, New Hampshire. Later in life she worked as a realtor and spent many years first with Hamel Real Estate and then with Lloyd and Day in Chocorua, New Hampshire. She loved the business relationships and increased knowledge of the area with which her real estate career provided her. Since her early childhood, Betsy spent summers with her family by the shores of Lake Ossipee, and in the 1970s she made Center Ossipee her year-round home.
Betsy was active in many community organizations, through which she served the Ossipee area. They included Meals-on-Wheels, for which she volunteered for more than 20 years, and the Center Ossipee Library, on whose board she served. In recognition of her service, she was named Ossipee "Citizen of the Year" in 2007 and honored at the town's Fourth of July celebration.
Betsy was also active in The Arts Council of Tamworth and served as a board member of The Barnstormers Theatre. She served as warden and chair of her beloved St. Andrew's-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church, and acted on many of the church?s committees, always faithful in her Sunday worship. Betsy maintained an active interest in politics and supported many progressive candidates and causes. She also supported efforts to care for and maintain the natural beauty of Ossipee?s lakes and mountains.
Betsy was preceded in death by her parents, as well as by her brother Dr. Leroy S. Rouner, her sister Louise Rouner van Kesteren and her nephew Timothy Rouner. She is survived by her brother Rev. Dr. Arthur A. (and Molly) Rouner and by nieces and nephews John (Haseena), Kristen (Bruce), Thomasin, Elizabeth (Max), Andrew (Rose), Rainsford, Jonathan (Katrin), Christina (Matthew), by her godchild Philippa Ross-Smith, her almost-family William and Shirley Kirkland and their sons Keith and Derek, Betsy?s godsons, and by the many children of all of the above. Betsy cared for them all, following their lives with interest and encouragement.
Betsy had a wonderful capacity for deep and enduring friendships and many of her friends were lovingly attentive to Betsy both during her illness and at her departing. All will miss her hearty laugh, her sharp insights, and her loving enthusiasm for sharing in the lives of others.Memorials:Memorial gifts in Betsy?s honor may be sent to St. Andrew's Church (P.O. Box 436, Tamworth, NH 03886) or to the Ossipee Children?s Fund (P.O. Box 685, Center Ossipee, NH 03814).Service:A service of thanksgiving, memory, and celebration will be held at St. Andrew's-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church in Tamworth on Saturday March 24, 2012 at 11 a.m.