Elizabeth Bail
Niantic — Elizabeth “Betty” Bail, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and lively story teller died quietly Christmas Day 2022. She was 98, closing in on 99, in one more month.
Betty moved to Connecticut in 2009 after the death of her husband Paul. They had lived in Houston, Texas, for over 45 years. She was a registered nurse and worked in several areas of public health in Houston in family planning roles. Her favorite job, however, was as a school nurse when they lived in Tulsa, Okla., prior to the move to Houston.
Betty was born in Chillicothe, Ohio, right across the Ohio River from Huntington, W.Va. She and her four siblings were all raised in the area. One of the family businesses was the Huntington Airport, which her father, H.G. Mayes, started in the ’30s; and to hear Betty tell it, much of the family activity centered on the airport.
After graduating from high school at Greenbrier Academy, Betty went to Chicago for nurse’s training. Shortly after graduating as an R.N., Betty was traveling to visit one of her friends from training in Nashville, Tenn., when the plane encountered rough air. So, she began nervously talking to her seat mate — a handsome young petroleum engineer. He reassured her that all would be well and got off the plane to take her to dinner that evening, along with her friends. Less than a year later, they married in San Antonio, Texas, and two years later, she had their first child, Kathi. Two years after that, she gave birth to their son, Paul
Jr. Betty and Paul lived for a time in State College, Pa., and then they moved to Tulsa. Then in 1964, they were transferred to Houston.
After they retired, they enjoyed a new tradition, which was a Christmas gathering that included Betty’s sister Ruth and her husband Joe and Betty’s brother John and his wife Doris. The celebration was filled out with their children and grandchildren. Any get together that included that many “Mayeses” was certain to be lively and full of family stories. The liveliness was aided by Paul’s frozen Margaritas. One year the oldest sibling, Howard Junior and his wife Fran joined in the fun. They added another round of family stories and tall tales.
Betty is survived by her daughter Kathi Green, of Old Lyme; and son Paul Bail Jr. who lives in Winchester, Ky.; and Paul’s sons, James, of Atlanta, and Drew who lives with his family in Kent, Wash.; and Drew’s family, including Kimmy, his wife, and sons,
Ian, Brandon and Jacob. Betty is also survived by numerous nieces and a nephew and her former daughter-in-law, Karen Bail, with whom she stayed close. All loved her wonderful sense of humor and irresistible love of life.
A memorial will be planned in the spring when the ashes of both Betty and Paul will be interred in Duck River Cemetery. Donations can be made to your local animal shelter or library in Betty’s name. She loved cats, dogs and books.