Long-time Tri-County Bird Club member Elizabeth Pitney passed away Sunday, March 3, 2024 at Genesis/Salisbury Nursing Home. Betty was a mainstay of the Bird Club for many years. She served as the Club’s Secretary and MOS Director from 2004-2021. Betty led many field trips, where her expertise on plants (especially ferns) introduced members to other aspects of our local environment. Betty’s participation over decades in various counts and surveys – the Christmas and Spring Migration Counts, Breeding Bird Survey and Atlas projects, and Cornell’s FeederWatch – increased our knowledge and understanding of local bird populations. In the years before eBird, Betty submitted unusual bird sightings from the Lower Shore to MD Birdlife. Betty’s love of animals extended beyond birds; at various times her home menagerie included cats, dogs, rabbits, Guinea pigs and chickens that had fallen off the truck on the way to the processing plant. Betty’s creative side included sewing, drawing, painting and carving; she was a member of the Ward Museum’s Carving Club. She also volunteered for the Museum and for Delmarva Public Media. Although Betty was not one to seek the limelight, her many efforts on behalf the Bird Club have contributed to its continued success over the years. She loved animals and donated a great deal to Humane Society’s and Animal Rescues throughout the country. She was employed By Wor Wic Community College for years as an administrative assistant.
She is survived by a sister, Suzanne Warner of Kelowna, B.C. Canada; close friends, Paul and Joann Wilber, Ellen Lawler and Rodney Kennedy.
An expression dear to Betty was: “To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you lived. This is to have succeeded.”
A graveside memorial service will be held at noon on Thursday, March 21 at Wicomico Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made in memory of Betty to the Wicomico County Humane Society, 5130 Citation Dr., Salisbury, MD 21804 or the Alzheimer’s Association, 909 Progress Cir, Salisbury, MD 21804.
Visit www.boundsfuneralhome.com to share stories and memories with the family.
