Elizabeth Neuland Ganley

Elizabeth Neuland Ganley, 84, of Ashby Ponds, Ashburn, Virginia, formerly of Arlington, Virginia, passed away at the Capital Caring Adler Center in Aldie, Virginia, surrounded by her children, on July 30, 2024. Betty, as she was known, was born at Georgetown University Hospital (which in 2007 was converted to a college dorm) on Saturday, August 12, 1939 to August Neuland and Josephine Thole Neuland, both German immigrants. She grew up in Arlington, attended Camp Potomac Woods in the summers and worked in her father’s very popular German bakery, the Calvert Pastry Shop, in Georgetown. She graduated from St. Mary’s Academy in Alexandria in 1957. Thereafter, she trained for two years as a medical secretary at Georgetown Visitation and worked for the Army Surgeon General until her marriage to Richard (Dick) Ganley on May 16, 1964. A Lieutenant in the Navy at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Dick was reassigned to San Diego, California in 1967. After resigning his Naval commission, they again settled back in Arlington, where she raised their three children and remained for over 50 years. Betty got her traveling gene from her father. Her first boat voyage to Germany with her family was shortly after WWII, on the Italia, when she was 13. She continued to travel until her 80’s, visiting over 200+ countries. Some of her most memorable trips were taking a mule (and the mail!) down the Grand Canyon, hot air ballooning in Kenya and Cappadocia, parasailing in New Zealand, landing in Cuba on the day Castro died, traveling to Communist Russia in the late 70’s where she traded bubble gum for Communist trinkets, chasing penguins in Antarctica and embarking on a grand tour of Ireland with her children and their spouses. When she wasn’t traveling the world, Betty taught CCD, partnered with Great Books, managed the Potomac Kiwanis Soccer Club, had a brief stint as a Girl Scout leader, and officiated many swim meets at pool at the Knights of Columbus. She was a talented seamstress and an avid gardener, recently retiring from the VA Master Gardeners. Many of her later years were kept busy with genealogy and researching the Ganley and Neuland families. As the keeper of the family tree, she was the social doyenne for the whole extended family. Whenever a cousin came into the area, they were to see Aunt Betty. She always knew who they were and how they were related and regaled in telling stories of their interesting relatives. She also enjoyed spending many afternoons with her faithful companion, Radar, at Fort Ethan Allen Dog Park. Daughter of the late August Neuland and Josephine Thole Neuland, and wife of the late Richard Ganley, she is survived by her three children, Christopher of Chantilly, Virginia, Michael and his wife, Kristin, of Cranford, New Jersey and Catherine and her husband, Joseph, of Falls Church, Virginia; her nine beloved grandchildren, who affectionately called her Bea, Jordan and Erin, Abigail, Claire, Patrick and James, and Megan, Helen and MK; her two brothers, Robert and his wife, Donna, Neuland of Vienna, Virginia and Donald and his wife, Eva, Neuland of Charlottesville, Virginia; and her beloved dog, Radar. Mass of the Christian Burial will be held at Saint Agnes Catholic Church, 1910 N. Randolph Street, Arlington, Virginia on Monday, August 5th at 11:00 a.m., followed by interment at Columbia Gardens Cemetery, Arlington. A reception will follow from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. at the 3411 Event Center at the cemetery.