Obituary of Betsy Ann Strater

Strater, Betsy Ann, age 96, died peacefully in her sleep on March 5, 2021. She was at home in her assisted living facility in The Villages. Florida. She was preceded in death by her parents Pearl and Herman Strater, and four siblings, Don Strater (Betty), Virginia Maschwitz (Percy), John Strater (Alice and Beverly) and Jean Fillmore (Bill). She is survived by five nieces and four nephews. Betsy was briefly married and had no children.

The youngest of Herman and Pearl’s children, Betsy was the last surviving family member of her generation, She grew up in Toledo, Ohio and graduated from Rossford Highschool in 1942. Betsy lived in several locations in Ohio, New York and New Jersey before moving to Florida. She had several careers, briefly as a model and most notably as a sales representative for Royal McBee Corporation selling notch-card computing systems. Around 1960 she moved to Long Beach Island off the New Jersey shore. She worked in real estate with her business partner and good friend, Mary Tate. She retired in 2001 and moved to The Villages, FL, where she joined several community groups and made new friends. Beginning in the early 1990s nephew David and Linda Maschwitz visited her in New Jersey and then in Florida. We shared many happy moments with her. She was like a sister to us and we will miss her greatly.

Sadly, in later years Betsy’s memory progressively declined. She was able to live in her own home in The Villages with help from Seniors Helping Seniors staff and attentive neighbors, to whom we owe a great deal. In 2018 she moved to the Serenades memory care facility. Betsy was a loving and very strong willed independent person, and it broke our hearts to witness her decline.

A memorial celebration will be held at the Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services and Life Event Center on Friday, March 26 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm eastern time (3975 Wedgewood Lane, The Villages, FL 32162). Remote participation will be available. She will be buried in the Strater family plot in Toledo Memorial Park, Sylvania, Ohio. In her final years Betsy received loving care from Cornerstone Hospice staff at Serenades in The Villages. We are grateful for their care and suggest that any memorial donations be directed to the Cornerstone Hospice Foundation (2445 Lane Park Road, Tavares, FL 32778)