Ellen Elizabeth Betts

Ellen Elizabeth Betts, 68, of West Columbia, South Carolina passed away peacefully on Sunday, November 19th, 2023, after a long illness. Born in Columbia, SC on September 24th, 1955, she was the daughter of the late Rowena Gunby DuBose Betts and the late Erskine Dendy Betts.

Ellen was a graduate of Airport High School and the College of Charleston, where she received a BA degree in Philosophy in 1977. In 1980, she graduated from the University of South Carolina with an MA degree in Library Science. After several years with at the Charleston and Aiken County libraries, she returned to Columbia where she continued her career as a reference librarian at the Richland County Public Library until her retirement in 2014. At the RCPL, Ellen especially enjoyed her work in the Local History department and its preservation of historic accounts of this area.

Ellen’s loving and generous spirit, her calm strength, and her subtle sense of humor endeared her to many. She was an abiding support and joy to her family and friends, and was a loving and devoted friend and companion to her significant other, Blakeney Spong. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her.

She is survived by her sisters, Mary Hilyer (Marty) of Lexington, SC and Rowena Brockman (Russell) of Fletcher, NC; nephews, Tommy Cannon (Annamarie), Russell Brockman, Jr., and Daniel Hilyer (Kacie); nieces, Lauren Nycum (Chris), Judith Brockman, Julie MacDougall (Matt); and great nephew, Matthew Knox MacDougall. Also surviving are her cousins, David Betts (Catherine) and Erskine M. Betts (Mary), both of North Carolina, and Dr. Katherine Betts of Indiana.

The family wishes to thank the staff at Still Hopes Episcopal Retirement Community for their unfailing, gentle care of Ms. Betts and their warm support to the family.

A graveside service led by Chaplain Eric R. Dye will be held at 1:00 PM at Elmwood Cemetery, 501 Elmwood Avenue, Columbia, South Carolina 29201, on Saturday, December 2nd, 2023. The family will receive friends immediately following the service at Elmwood Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, her family suggests that memorials be made to the Nature Conservancy, 1417 Stuart Engals Boulevard, Suite 100, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464, https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/south-carolina/contact-us/, The Carolina Wildlife Center, 5551 Bush River Rd, Columbia, SC 29212, https://carolinawildlife.org/ or to the charity of their choice.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.elmwoodfhcolumbia.com for the Betts family.