Betty Winer Heller

PEABODY — Betty Winer Heller, a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and friend, passed away peacefully on April 29, 2025, at the age of 92, surrounded by love.

Born in Salem on August 9, 1932, Betty was the daughter of the late Barney and Inez Winer. A proud graduate of Salem High School and Simmons College, she majored in Home Economics, dedicating 27 years to teaching in the Boston Public Schools, including Woodrow Wilson Middle School. Always balancing career and family, Betty made sure she was home each afternoon to greet her children and gather them around the dinner table.

Together with her late husband, Saul Heller, Betty built a joyful, welcoming home in Sharon, where they were active members of Temple Israel and hosted spirited holiday gatherings with extended family. In 1976, their Passover Seder was even featured on Channel 7 News. After raising their family, Betty and Saul returned to Salem, living in a renovated condo in the town’s historic former police station. They later wintered in Jupiter, Florida, before moving to Brooksby Village in Peabody, where they thrived in a community of friends.

Betty was a world traveler, avid bridge player, trivia whiz, wonderful cook, and meticulous seamstress whose handmade dresses are now worn proudly by her great-granddaughter. Though she often sang “You Are My Sunshine” a little off-key, she was truly a ray of sunshine to all who knew her.

She is survived by her loving children Susan Shoer, Leslie Holloran and her husband MJ, and Daniel Heller; her beloved grandchildren Alex Shoer, Liz Fachler and her husband Adam, Jake Holloran and his wife Nicolette, and Benjamin Holloran; and her treasured great-grandchildren Emery and Rowan Fachler. She also leaves her sister-in-law Judy Winer, sister- and brother-in-law Judy and Bruce Heller, and many adoring nieces, nephews, and extended family. She was predeceased by her loving husband Saul Heller

Services will be held at Sharon Memorial Park, 40 Dedham Street, Sharon, MA, on Friday, May 2, at 10:00 AM, with Shiva to follow at 104 Brooksby Village Drive, WW#315, Peabody, MA. Donations in Betty’s memory may be made to the Brooksby Village Scholarship Fund (https://donations.erickson.com/s/?com=bbv&fund=sch).

Betty’s legacy of love, laughter, and resilience will live on in all whose lives she touched.