Elizabeth Womelsdorf Mitchell
Elizabeth Womelsdorf Mitchell, daughter of the late E. Guy Womelsdorf and Bertha Griffith Womelsdorf, died in Stamford, Connecticut, on March 29th, 2020, at the age of 97. Born in Wanamie, Pennsylvania, on January 23rd, 1923, she graduated from Newport High School in 1940. Following high school, Elizabeth attended Bucknell Junior College (now Wilkes University) graduating with a degree in bookkeeping. She worked as a secretary at the Glen Alden Coal Company in Wilkes-Barre, PA, from 1942 to 1952. She met and married Herbert Mitchell and raised two daughters, Ann Meredith and Elizabeth Jane.
After raising her daughters, she was a bookkeeper and office manager at the office of Irem Temple in Wilkes-Barre, PA. She retired in 1988. She and husband Bert enjoyed traveling and, especially, spending time with their granddaughters.
Elizabeth, familiarly known as Betty, possessed an outstanding vocabulary and knowledge of English grammar and enjoyed completing crossword puzzles throughout her life. She was an excellent writer of prose and poetry and a lover of mathematics.
She had a full life in the Church of Christ Uniting in Kingston, Pennsylvania, enjoying Women’s Fellowship, singing in the choir, and volunteering for the Al Beech Food Bank.
Elizabeth’s family extends heartfelt gratitude to the staff of Sunrise Assisted Living on Turn of River Road in Stamford, Connecticut, where Elizabeth thrived because of their caring professionalism. When she moved there from Pennsylvania in 2017, she found a fulfilling life at Sunrise. While still living in Kingston, Elizabeth enjoyed excellent care rendered by Pat of Home Instead. Pat’s vital support helped Elizabeth remain in her home as long as she did.
Special appreciation is due Carol Johnson who provided a wide variety of caring assistance whether it was accompanying Betty to church, driving her to the grocery store and doctor’s appointments or stepping in and stepping up to help Betty frequently. Her neighbors, William and Ed Urbanski and Maureen Lacey and her husband, David Scheydwasser, made an important difference in Betty’s life. They kept her sidewalk shoveled in the winter, looked out for her, brought her homemade meals and bran muffins, and helped her in any way that she needed. When Elizabeth moved to Connecticut, she missed Carol and her neighbors most of all.
Elizabeth was preceded in death by her parents, sisters Martha Womelsdorf and Amy Vandermark, brother Raymond Womelsdorf, her husband Bert, and daughter Ann Meredith Mitchell.
She is survived by her daughter Elizabeth (Mrs. Randall) Outlaw, son-in-law Randall, granddaughter Kathryn and her husband, Tim Lopas, granddaughter Meredith and her husband, Justin Kircher, her nephew Tim Mitchell, nieces Emily Hosey Sallitt and Ellen Mitchell Gacomis, and beloved cousins.
A private graveside service for the family will be held at Oaklawn Cemetery in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, with Rev. Carol Fleming officiating. Elizabeth will be laid to rest beside her beloved husband and daughter Ann. Arrangements are being managed by Hugh B. Hughes Funeral Home, 1044 Wyoming Avenue in Forty Fort, Pennsylvania, and in Stamford, Connecticut, by Thomas M. Gallagher Funeral Home, 453 Shippan Avenue. A service of celebration and remembrance will be held at Church of Christ Uniting, 190 S. Sprague Avenue, Kingston, PA, at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to the Church of Christ Uniting.