Ruth E. "Betsy Bell" Bowers Harward

Ruth Elizabeth “Betsy Bell” Bowers Harward was born in Bristol, Va. to the late Thaddeus Ray and Ruth Moore Bowers on March 29, 1928. Betsy grew up on the Tennessee side of State Street in Bristol and was a true East Tennessee gal who loved the Tennessee mountains and Smoky Mountain National Park, working there as a camp counselor during her teen years. She graduated from Duke University in 1950, where she met her husband Ernest David Harward Jr. Together, they built a Duke family tradition that became deeply rooted in ways they never could have imagined at the time. After graduating from Duke with a B.A. in English, Betsy became a preschool teacher for local children in Durham, running the school and setting up their home in the preschool building while David worked on his master’s degree. While raising a family of five children, Betsy and David followed his US Public Health Service job to Dallas, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco, eventually settling in Derwood, Md.

After her children were older, Betsy again taught preschool, supported numerous charities, and was a committed volunteer for such causes as Gaithersburg Help and Meals on Wheels. She was active at Gaithersburg Presbyterian Church for over 55 years, including serving as an elder and Sunday School teacher, and was involved in the Public Health Service Wives Club for decades. She developed strong friendships across her many walks of life. She loved puzzling, was a frequent champion of her bowling league, a recycler ahead of the times, dedicated to the garden left by David, a reciter of poetry, an avid baseball fan, and enamored with all things Duke. She will be remembered for her quick wit and sarcastic sense of humor. Most of all, Betsy was devoted to her family and loved spending time with all of them, highlighted by a family Disney cruise to celebrate her 90th birthday in 2018.

She is preceded in death by her husband David of 39 years and is survived by her siblings: Charlotte Bowers Nelson and Tad Bowers (Judy); and five children: Kathleen Johnson, Dave Harward III (Regina), Charlotte Miller (Vern), Janet Harward (Michael Colopy) and Bobby Harward (Mary). She loved sharing in all the joys and celebrations of her grandchildren: Kevin Johnson (Guillemette Berard), Carrie Johnson (Jeff Horvath), Sarah and Rachel Miller, Hannah and Sydney Colopy, Bobby Harward Jr. (Brittany), Bryan Harward (Sarah Anne), and Baylee Harward. She was a great grandma—“SuperGrams”—to seven.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Betsy’s name may be made to Montgomery Hospice (https://montgomeryhospice.org/giving/ways-to-give/) or the Duke Health Covid-19 Research Support Fund (https://giving.dukehealth.org/ways-to-give/covid-19-response-fund).

Services will be held at Gaithersburg Presbyterian Church, Gaithersburg, MD. on Saturday, March 18 at 2:00 p.m.