Elizabeth "Betty" (Farren) Arnold

ELIZABETH (BETTY) FARREN ARNOLD (December 30, 1915 – October 1, 2020) has died at age 104 of natural causes. She was the daughter of Ernest Gilbert Farren and Myrtle Dickerman Farren and sister of the late Ernest “Gil” Farren of Hartford. Betty grew up in East Granby and Haddam before her family moved to Wethersfield, where she lived for many years. A 1933 graduate of Wethersfield High School, Betty worked at the Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company in Hartford, where she met the late Thomas Kenneth Arnold; they were married in 1941. Later, she was school secretary at the Greenfield School in Wethersfield. After retiring, Betty devoted herself to volunteer activity at the Wethersfield Historical Society, where she was a stalwart member of the Education Committee. Many residents and visitors remember her tours of the Old Burying Ground, her Thanksgiving portrayals of “Goody Pilgrim,” and her many presentations to school and public groups; she was one of the first two inductees into the Historical Society’s Volunteer Hall of Fame. A long-time member of the Unitarian Society of Hartford, Betty taught Sunday school (beginning as a high school senior), served on the church council and other committees, and was an active member of the Women’s Alliance. Betty and Tom Arnold were also avid golfers. Betty is remembered fondly by her family and her many friends. She leaves her son and daughter-in-law, Douglas and Margo Arnold of Washington, D.C.; her niece and nephew Judith and Joseph Sevigny of Newington and their children Kimberly and Steven; her step-grandchildren Christopher and Catherine Carter of Old Lyme and their children Margaretta and John; and nieces and nephews on Tom Arnold’s side of the family, including Peggy Macchi of East Hartford, Edward Arnold of Manchester, Judy Larson of South Windsor and Kathy Fregeau of South Windsor.

A memorial service will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to the Wethersfield Historical Society, 150 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT 06109, or the Unitarian Society of Hartford, 50 Bloomfield Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. The D’Esopo Funeral Chapel, Wethersfield has been entrusted with arrangements. To share a memory of Betty with her family, please visit www.desopofuneralchapel.com.