Charlotte Vivian Betancourt

Charlotte Betancourt of Hemet, California, born on June 11, 1927, in Warwick, Rhode Island, to Walter and Charlotte Wood, passed away peacefully on November 1, 2026, surrounded by family and loved ones.

A Life Well Lived

A grand lady, a beacon, a storied life. Imagine: at 99, she was still caring for herself, her home, and her family. She had a sharp mind and was a fighter, beating breast cancer and receiving a pacemaker just this year. Hers was a full life; we cannot fully appreciate all that she experienced, the lives she touched, or her sacrifices, too many to count. Now a bright life has left us, raised into the heavens — a voice silenced, but a legacy that will endure.

Charlotte grew up in Providence and graduated from Hope High School. Early in life, she worked caring for local children and learned to cook and sew, excelling at every task. During these early years, Charlotte, the second oldest, managed the family household, caring for her brother Raymond and her sisters Irene, Joan, and Nancy while their mother was recovering from tuberculosis in a sanatorium.

After high school, she married her husband, Robert. The newlyweds enjoyed a honeymoon close to home, and her father sent them off with her suitcase decorated in confetti. They arrived at a lonely, foggy dock in Massachusetts to a small voice calling to them, “Eastvill Inn, Eastvill Inn!” — and found her clothes spotted with color from the confetti. They enjoyed their time swimming and biking around Martha’s Vineyard.

Together, they built more than one home between the mid-1940s and 1960s. Bobby (Robert Jr.) was born first, and within two years, Joyce. Then Robert Jr. and Joyce were soon off to college, and the home was empty.

Oldest daughter, Joyce: Charlotte (MomChar) was my best friend, confidant, always available for love, advice, morale, guidance, and support! Her good sense and upbeat attitude was always refreshing and enlightening. MomChar always loved and shared her goodness with all the family including our many pets over the years: parakeets, canaries, ducks, chickens, fish in beautiful aquariums, and dogs–Teddy, Tippy, Beagle, Millie, Winston, Schultz, Charlie, and Lottie-B! Also from other daughter Evelyn’s family and “granddaughter” Theresa’s kitties, especially Anthony, and over the years, Joyce’s Lizzie-B and Molly-B!

Mom ,Char loved all the holidays by baking special desserts; especially apple pie, Dad’s favorite, with strawberry shortcake being Mom’s favorite. The kitchen was a fun place with Mom who shared and taught Evelyn and Joyce to enjoy and excel in following recipes. Evelyn became an expert decorator and passed her talent on to her daughter Theresa! Mom always had the family gather around the table for family dinners. Some of our favorites were steak, meatloaf, spaghetti, sunday roasts, pea soup, chicken soup, pot roast and corned beef and cabbage! MomChar was very organized, always followed a recipe, and left an incredible library of cookbooks, recipes from the internet, web pages, and infomercial gadgets from TV. She loved playing with different tastes and marinades. Everyone welcomed Mom’s cooking.

As time went on, she shared skills learned from her mom and nanny. Her talent and thirst for knowledge with crafts including embroidery, manual and computerized sewing machines and sergers, macrame, ming trees, and many more unique crafts. Every task she took on seriously, had fun doing it, and excelled to a master instructor level. She sometimes took classes to keep up with the latest methods. She made patched jackets, shirts, dresses, curtains, doll clothes, baby clothes (exquisite to the finest degree), and even made dolls with dresses to match. Her quest for learning never stopped.

After Bobby and Joyce grew up and left the nest, Bob and Charlotte; now living in Ohio, welcomed twins into the family, Charles and Evelyn. Raising twins was a unique and exhausting challenge; one twin would sleep while the other needed feeding, then changing, and the cycle repeated. Together, they raised the “caboose” twins, in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and California; moving each time Dad found a new challenge (a problem at a new company he could solve). We remember her making our Halloween costumes each year, and the family traveling during the holidays to see the turning of the leaves and to visit family in Rhode Island or California.

Charlotte was a wonderfully skilled cook, baker, and seamstress who also tended a garden and canned preserves from their fruit trees. One recipe, Piccalilli relish, made of tomatoes, peppers, onions, and spices, was easily paired with red meat. She loved to can and preserve stewed tomatoes, canned peaches, jams, and jellies, and baked cookies of every description. She relished trying new recipes, entertaining at home, visiting neighbors, and participating in progressive dinners. These progressive dinners would begin with an aperitif at one home, then a salad at the next, the main dinner at a third, and dessert, drinks, or a card game at a final home.

Charlotte was well loved by all she met. She greeted the world with grace and compassion for all, meeting each day with purpose and drive. Her bright spirit and kind blue eyes instantly gave you a sense of welcoming warmth. She supported her husband and children in every endeavor — drying tears, cheering successes, consoling us during our losses, and scolding us when we strayed. Each of us was shaped by her advice and encouragement, strengthened by her will, and protected by her untiring resilience. She cared deeply for us all.

Family

Charlotte is survived by her sons, Robert and Charles, and her daughter, Joyce, sister Nancy, many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert; daughter Evelyn, Sisters Joan, Irene, and her brother Ray.

Services

A Celebration Of Life will be held at Dean and Janet 's Residence from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm on November 14, 2026, with RSVP to Daughter Joyce Betancourt Crawford 530-613-5063. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to ALS in Memory of her Daughter Evelyn Payne https://fundraise.als.net/classic/evelynpayne

Charlotte will be deeply missed, forever remembered by all who knew and loved her.