Obituary of Elizabeth Jane Seidel

WEBSTER - Died on Monday, November 5th, 2018 at the Wegman Care Center at St. Ann’s in Irondequoit, from lung cancer. Her sons were at her side.
Betty was born Elizabeth Jane Owlett in 1937 in Ithaca, NY and grew up in Webster where she graduated from Webster High School in 1954. She was the daughter of Chester and Jennie Mabee Owlett, M.D., and after the death of her mother, became stepdaughter to Emily Owlett. She married Robert Neal Seidel in 1957 after they met as students at Cornell; they eventually moved to the Seidel family farm in Columbia County, where they lived for seven years and became parents to three sons before returning to the Finger Lakes region. She earned a Bachelor’s degree from SUNY Cortland and a Master’s in Library Science at SUNY Geneseo. She worked at Cornell’s Olin Library and later at the George Eastman House in Rochester. Betty was raised as an Episcopalian and attended St. Luke’s in Rochester, where she sang in the junior choir. In 1974, upon returning with her family to Rochester, she rejoined St. Luke’s (eventually St. Luke & St. Simon Cyrene). She served as church secretary for several years, performed volunteer work, sang in the choir, and made many dear friends in the congregation.
Betty was predeceased by her parents, her stepmother, and her husband Bob, who passed away on November 4, 2015. She leaves behind her younger brothers Richard and John; and a legacy of three sons: David, Stephen, and Douglas; seven grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
Services to be held at St Luke and St Simon Cyrene at a date to be determined.
In lieu of flowers please make a donation in her memory to the Healthcare or Civil Rights charity of your choice or St. Luke and St. Simon Cyrene Episcopal Church, Rochester, NY.