Photos

Images from memorial for Elizabeth Ethel McKee on January 9, 2010.

The following obituary was submitted to The Odessa File by the Royce-Chedzoy Funeral Home, Watkins Glen.

Elizabeth Ethel McKee

Age 53, of Watkins Glen, passed away December 31, 2009 as the result of an automobile accident.

Elizabeth “Betsy” McKee is survived by 5 children, Melita Greenleaf, Jason Greenleaf, Rachel Greenleaf, Michelle Benavides and David Greenleaf; four grandchildren, Alexae and Steven Greenleaf and Calvin and Alessandra Benavides; her mother, Ahava McKee; siblings Deborah Maynard, Rita McKee, Timothy McKee, Philip McKee, Anna Mori, Joel McKee, Phoebe Morrison, Nathaniel McKee, and Jed McKee; many nieces and nephews, and many, many friends. She was predeceased by her father, Robert McKee, and sister, Ruth Frouman.

Elizabeth was a kind and compassionate woman who loved her hometown of Watkins Glen, and the Finger Lakes region. She raised her children on her idyllic second-generation family farm in Reading Center, and cherished outdoor activities, including sailing, gorge swimming, camping, and gardening.

She was devoted to health and wellness and worked as a Registered Nurse at Schuyler Hospital and through home health care agencies; she was the first Massage Therapist in Schuyler County and taught Nutrition through Cornell Cooperative Extension. She had an avid interest in the mind-body connection to wellness and spoke passionately on this topic.

Elizabeth had a deep, true love for people, taking as much of an interest in new acquaintances as dear friends, and was particularly interested in the stories of individuals with illnesses and the elderly. She epitomized the concept of giving back to one’s community, and brightened the lives of so very many people.