Elizabeth J. Chamberlain

Elizabeth Chamberlain, 93, died at her residence in Ft. Belvoir, VA, on August 31, 2014. Born and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA, "Betty" was one of six children raised in a tight-knit family of first generation Slovak Americans. At the age of 22, she left her job with the Insurance Company of North America and, despite her parents' concerns, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, answering the national call to "Free a Man to Fight."

As a PFC, Betty was assigned to Camp Elliot and Camp Pendleton in California, serving as a communications specialist who translated messages from Morse Code. In 1945, she met and married Lieutenant Joseph Chamberlain, a Marine Corps pilot. The couple settled in Jacksonville, FL, where they raised two girls and four boys. When her children were old enough, Betty began working for Westburne Supply Co., a plumbing wholesale business. Upon retirement, Joe and Betty built a home in Fernandina Beach, FL, where Betty volunteered for the Barnabas Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping individuals and families in need. After her husband died, she moved to Melbourne, FL, and later to The Fairfax, a retirement community in Ft. Belvoir, VA.

Throughout her life, Betty Chamberlain had a fierce sense of justice and strong devotion to helping the poor and those in need. A generous, loving, and courageous person whose strong Catholic faith sustained her in good and difficult times, Betty Chamberlain will be deeply missed by her 5 surviving children, Joan, Kathy, Joe, George and Michael; 11 grandchildren; 5 great grandchildren; and two sisters. A son, Francis Chamberlain, died in 1998.

A memorial mass will be held at Good Shepherd Catholic Church, 8710 Mount Vernon Highway, Alexandria, VA 22309 on Monday, Sept. 8, 2014, at 10:30 a.m. A mass of Christian burial will be held at Mandi's Chapel, Camp Weed Cerveney Conference Center, 11057 Camp Weed Pl, Live Oak, FL 32060, over the Thanksgiving period, exact date to be posted on www.BettyChamberlain.com in the near future. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Doctors Without Borders, 333 7th Ave., New York, NY 10001-5004.