Betty Gene Elkin

Betty is survived by her daughters Karen, Laurie (Ken Snedegar) and Vicki (Mike Ivey) and grandchildren Aria Snedegar, Claire Snedegar and Alexander Elkin Ivey. Betty was preceded in death by Norman, her husband of 65 years, her parents Lloyd and Elizabeth Lee and brother Ausby Lee.

Betty cherished her family and relished family holidays and traditions. She got so much joy from her grandchildren and loved hearing about their lives and adventures. Betty was very tech savvy and kept up with friends and family through texts, group chats, Facebook and Instagram, along with old fashioned phone calls. In addition to her human family, she was an animal lover and provided a wonderful home to many cats and several very spoiled dogs over the years.

Betty’s life and interests went beyond family and friends. She was the first person to go to college in her family, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Northwestern University. After graduating in 1956, she worked for the City of Chicago in the Department of City Planning where she met Norman, the love of her life. Like many women of her day, Betty left the workforce to raise her children but remained active with civic organizations and social causes.

Betty volunteered at the Boston Girls Detention Center and Jewish Women’s Council during the family’s brief time in Boston. Upon returning to the Chicago area, Betty served as Treasurer and then President of the Wilmette League of Women Voters and Vice President of Alpha Chi Omega chapter at Northwestern University.

Betty was very involved in her daughters’ lives and education, serving as a Girl Scout Leader, volunteer Librarian at Romona Elementary School, and co-chair of the Ways and Means Committee of the Bell School PTA. She was an avid reader and instilled a love of books in her daughters and other children by heading up the School Book Fair. After her children were out of the house, Betty’s interests shifted to learning Spanish and volunteering in Chicago’s Pilsen Neighborhood where she supported the development of a Latino arts center.

Betty was ahead of her time in many ways. She had an adventurous spirit, lively mind, clever wit and progressive viewpoint. She was a wonderful mother who encouraged her daughters to take risks and follow their dreams even if it meant traveling far from home or taking a pay cut.

Above all else, Betty was the perfect match for Norman. They were an inseparable pair, complementing each other’s strengths, and finding joy in daily life and larger adventures that took them from Alaska to Mexico and many places in between.

She will be missed.

A Memorial Service will be held on Tuesday, March 10 at 12:00 at Weinstein & Piser Funeral Home 111 Skokie Blvd, Wilmette, IL. A shiva/visitation luncheon will follow from 1:00 – 4:30 at Hackney’s 1514 E Lake Ave, Glenview, IL