BANGOR and NAPLES, Fla. – Elizabeth “Betsy” MacInnes passed away peacefully June 9, 2011, after a loving goodbye with her entire family in Naples, Fla. She was born Feb. 4, 1923, in Baltimore, daughter of Stanton and Alice (Miller) Smith.
Betsy was raised a Quaker and believed that people should live in peace. Betsy graduated from George School, Newtown, Pa., and Smith College, Northampton, Mass. She studied landscape architecture at Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, R.I., and then worked at Olmsted Brothers Landscape Design, Boston. After returning to Maine, she was active in the community and was a loyal supporter of charitable and social service organizations, including Mabel Wadsworth Women’s Center, YMCA/YWCA and All Souls Congregational Church. Betsy was a gracious, loving and generous person, with many lifelong friends. She had a special place in her heart for the trips to New York City, where she and her family enjoyed Broadway plays, musicals and the wonderful museums. Betsy was an accomplished and knowledgeable gardener. She loved the sun-filled winters in Naples, Fla., playing tennis, reading and finding a good bargain. Betsy shared many laughs with family while watching “The Golden Girls”; so we say to her, “Thank you for being a friend.”
She is survived by her daughter, Margaret; a son, John and his wife, Cherrie, all of Bangor; and a very special granddaughter, Elizabeth and her husband, Geoffrey Hanz, of Philadelphia. She was predeceased by her husband whom she was married to for 55 years, Ian; and her sister, Dorothy Smith.
A private interment for the family will be held at a later date. Those who wish to remember her in a special way may make gifts in her memory to Bangor Public Library, 145 Harlow St., Bangor, ME 04401 or plant a flower in her honor in their garden.