Elizabeth (Betty) Sommers Spalding
Elizabeth (Betty) Sommers Spalding, 83, Economy, passed away on April 29, 2018.
Born Jan. 28, 1935, Betty and her sister Marian were adopted by Davidson Sommers and Alice Decker who raised the girls in Washington, D.C.
Betty attended Garland Junior College in Boston, Massachusetts where she met Francis L. Spalding, Jr. They married in 1957. While Fran was pursuing graduate studies and later teaching, the young couple lived for periods in Utah, Wyoming, Massachusetts, then in Wilmington, Delaware where Betty was a substitute teacher. By this time, the family had grown to include three sons. In 1971, the family moved to Economy so Betty and Fran could fulfill a dream of living off the land. Betty took quickly to subsistence farming. She excelled at bringing forth wondrous life sustaining and enriching goods from the land: hand-churned butter from the cow, hand-spun yarn from their sheep’s wool that she knitted or wove into beautiful textiles, freezers and jars full of home-raised meat and produce to feed her family.
She gave back to her beloved community with a generous spirit and countless acts of kindness. One enduring project is the Glooscap Country Bazaar, which she helped to start and operate close to 40 years ago. Only when her eyesight deteriorated did she cease performing the daily accounting and assembling the weekly pay envelopes. To this day the Bazaar serves as an outlet for local crafts and produce.
In the home, she sang her favorite folk songs beautifully while playing on her father’s guitar.
She enjoyed exploring the woods and shore with Fran, a keen naturalist. Betty loved her community and it loved her back.
She is survived by sons Francis (Cindy), Damascus, Maryland, Edward (Huisheng), Windsor Junction, Nova Scotia, Edgar (Kerry), Middleton, Wisconsin, and three grandchildren. She was predeceased by sister Marian Adikes.
A remembrance and celebration of life event is to be announced. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Nature Conservancy Canada.