Bethia Leet Sherman

BETHIA “BETSY” LEET SHERMAN Betsy Sherman, 91, a native of Jamestown, NY, died peacefully on August 3, 2021, at her home in Arlington, VA. She was born in Jamestown on February 8, 1930, the eldest of three children of the late Ernest D. Leet and Mary B. Leet. After graduating from Jamestown High School in 1947, she attended Cornell University, where she was a member of Alpha Phi sorority, graduating in 1951. In September 1952, she married Harvey R. Sherman, of Chepatchet, RI, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Jamestown. In 1958 the couple settled in Falls Church, VA, where she and Harvey raised their family, while frequently spending summer and Christmas vacations in Jamestown and on Chautauqua Lake with family and friends. Betsy was active in Falls Church city politics for many years as a member of the Falls Church Democratic Committee and the nonpartisan Falls Church Citizens for a Better City organization. In the 1960’s, she served a term as president of the old Madison elementary school PTA. Later, she worked for many years as parish secretary for St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church in Falls Church. Following Harvey’s death in 1989 she spent her time gardening and traveling in the US and abroad. In 2018, after 60 years in Falls Church, she moved to an assisted living facility in Arlington, VA. Betsy leaves behind her sisters Frances Reddaway of Flowery Branch, GA, and Rosemary Stark of New Bern, NC; her children Andrew (Deborah) of Springfield, VA, Lisa of Arlington, VA, Peter (Betsy) of Smithsburg, MD, and Mary (Jonathan) of Annapolis, MD; her grandchildren Ben (Ali) of Richmond, VA, Sarah (Jake) of Collingswood, NJ, Dave (Liz) of North Olmsted, OH, Isaac of Silver Spring, MD, and Jenny of Smithsburg, MD; and her great-grandchildren Jacob, Liam, Walter, and Olivia. Friends are asked to join the family for a celebration of Betsy’s life on Friday, September 24, from 2 to 5 pm at Murphy’s Funeral Home in Falls Church. Interment private. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown, NY roberthjackson.org, which Betsy supported for many years. To see a news article for Bethia Leet Sherman on the at the Falls Church News Press, please follow the link below. https://www.fcnp.com/2021/08/11/betsy-sherman-longtime-f-c-resident-civic-mainstay-dies/