Betty A. Treadaway
Betty A. Treadaway, age 92, of Shelton, CT entered into rest on Saturday, January 7, 2023 at Bridgeport Hospital with her loving daughter Barbara Treadaway by her side. Betty was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada on May 20,1930, the daughter of late James Bromley of Leicester, England, and Ethel (Bidwell-Beverage) Bromley of Philadelphia. Betty was sister of Constance “Connie” Bromley residing in North Carolina and the late Jane Wilson, and sister-in-law of William “Bill” Wilson of Maryland. She was the wife of the late Henry “Hank” Treadaway.
Upon moving from Ontario, she and her family lived in Seneca Falls, New York and then the family including her favorite dog “Lady,” moved to Derby, CT.
Betty proudly served in the army as a WAC for 2 years and was awarded the National Defense Service Medal. Betty would later graduate from Southern Connecticut State College with a Master’s Degree and would embark on a 30 year teaching career first in the Monroe school system, and then the Derby school system. Betty “Ms. Tread” would teach physical education and girls’ after school activities (Go Red Raiders!!) for several decades and finish the last 6 years as a history teacher. Teaching history was her dream and upon retiring from Derby High School, she taught history classes at the Shelton Adult Education Program. Betty would often bring mementos from her travels into class to show her students and hope they would feel her love for travel and learn about other cultures. During this time, she was able to enjoy extensive traveling with her daughter and younger sister Connie. They traveled several times to Betty’s father’s homeland of England and were able to see most of Europe and Canada. Betty fulfilled a lifelong dream of riding a camel and visiting Abu Simbul with Connie and Barbara in Egypt. For several years Betty lived on various horse farms with her daughter and had several horses that she owned participate in the Connecticut Hunter divisions. Her wonderful horse “Star Redoubt” was a Working Hunter champion. Her favorite horse also gave her a new interest in woodworking. Every night he would kick down his stall and every morning she would rebuild it. Miter saws and router tables became her favorite playthings. This interest would then expand to restoring antiques and reupholstering chairs. During Betty’s life she enjoyed participating and watching various sports. In her younger years she was an excellent golfer and was able to play a round at the Old St. Andrews Golf Course in Scotland. In the fall it was all about North Carolina college football on the TV. Closer to home she spent many years travelling up and down the eastern seaboard to watch David Amendola and his teammates play football for UCONN. Of all the different sports she enjoyed watching, her true passion was her beloved Toronto Maple Leafs. When speaking of her beloved team she would always add “I bleed blue in sports and politics”. A great lover of opera, she equally enjoyed going to the Metropolitan Opera and also watching it On Demand at the local theater. She loved to go to concerts especially to see Anne Murray, Reba McEntire, Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli and Rod Stewart. She was an avid reader. She compiled about forty boxes of books and when asked to if she could “cull the herd,” it was considered a form of blasphemy to her. In the last few months the books she had been reading were: Winston and Clementine Churchill’s personal letters, A Celebration of Raw Oysters, A Field Lovers Guide of Local Birds of North America, The Webster Dictionary, and her favorite comics- Snoopy. She was also completing a scrapbook of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for the last 2 years of her life.
In her final years, she moved several times and finally returned to Shelton. She found the simple pleasures of going out every week to enjoy new restaurants, but always looked for her favorite foods: Malpeque oysters, fish and chips (with malt vinegar) and a wonderful caramel flan. The one constant was her tea: Twining’s English Breakfast tea no cream! No sugar! She had a laid back demeanor, a strength of heart and spirit and most of all a mischievous smile (especially when she was driving at break neck speed on a John Deere tractor or her blue scooter). Everyone who got to know her would come to call her “Mom” and remember her as a proud Canadian. Betty’s funeral services are private. The family requests that memorial contributions may be made to The Salvation Army, 600 New Haven Avenue, Derby, CT 06418, or The Carter Center, 453 Freedom Pkwy. NE, Atlanta, GA 30307. The River Funeral Home, 390 River Rd., Shelton has been entrusted with her arrangements. Friends may leave condolences at www.riverviewfh.com.