Betty B. McCoy, 82

July 5, 1940 - January 11, 2023

Betty B. McCoy, 82, passed away at United Zion Retirement Community on Wednesday, January 11, 2023. She was a local girl who grew up in Strasburg and graduated from Lampeter Strasburg High School in 1958. She then attended Bucknell University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education.

Upon graduation from Bucknell, Betty taught music in the Upper Merion School District, and later at Lancaster Country Day School. An avid reader, she then chose to become a reading specialist and earned a Master of Education from Millersville University. She then worked for Lancaster Lebanon IU-13 as a reading specialist for 16 years. She thoroughly loved helping her students learn to read and enjoyed teaching at many schools throughout Lancaster County.

Additionally, Betty was an accomplished flutist and taught private lessons in the home for many years. She also played at many weddings and church functions and was the principal flutist in the Highland Presbyterian Orchestra. She loved classical music and the Irish flutist, James Galway.

Never one to be idle, Betty participated in many activities throughout her life. She served as a Brownie leader for Troop 272 and served on the Parish Council at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, where she was a charter member. She was also a member of the Junior League and the Lancaster Country Club. She served as President of the Board of the Women’s Symphony Association and also served on the Board of the Lancaster Day Nursery. In 1984, she accompanied her husband Bill when he led a delegation to China as part of the People to People Citizen Ambassador Program and was an integral part of organizing the trip. In her retirement years, she volunteered with a local refugee clinic and went on service trips to Costa Rica and Bayou La Batre, Alabama. She also traveled to La Vallee, Haiti, where she taught English with the non-profit organization, La Fraternite Valleenne. Serving others was an integral part of who Betty was as a person.

Betty enjoyed traveling and spent a summer in Europe with a group from Bucknell after her junior year. Her honeymoon was spent skiing at Mont-Tremblant, in Quebec, where she braved her first black diamond slope with Bill. He skied down first, leaving Betty, a very inexperienced skier, at the top. Fortunately she made it to the bottom in one piece. It was the first of many marital adventures with Bill. She traveled to England and Ireland with Bill and enjoyed family vacations to Montana, New England, the Adirondacks, and the Maryland shore.

Betty was the consummate wife, mother, and grandmother. She was kind, loving, considerate and fun. Her family and friends meant everything to her, as was evident in her deep and meaningful relationships. Words seem insufficient in describing her strong moral compass and the authentic goodness of her character. She embodied patience, selflessness, and compassion, which earned her the nickname, “St. Betty.” She truly left the world a better place and will be deeply missed by all who were blessed to have known her.

Betty is survived by her husband Bill of 56 years of marriage, and five children, Michael McCoy and wife Diana of Lancaster, Daniel McCoy of Encinitas, CA, Molly McCoy and husband David Fortin of Philadelphia, Kelly McCoy of Newark, DE, and Katherine Alleman and husband Matthew of South Pasadena, CA; five grandchildren, Olivia McCoy, Bella McCoy, Luke Alleman, Nora Alleman, and Lily Henderson, whom Betty helped raise from birth and shared an especially close bond. Also surviving Betty is her brother, Dr. Robert Mayhew and wife Connie of Houston, Texas.

Betty was preceded in death by her parents, James Stanley Burrows, and Dorothy E. (Aber) Burrows Mayhew, stepfather Rodney Mayhew, sisters, Margaret Keyser and Carol Wenger, and her brother, Charles Mayhew.

The McCoy family offers their heartfelt gratitude to the staff at United Zion Community for their compassionate and skilled care. They are also thankful to Hospice & Community Care, Lancaster, PA.

A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, February 25, 2023, with The Rev. Daniel F.X. Powell as Celebrant, at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 601 East Delp Road, Lancaster 17601. Betty’s family will receive friends from 10 to 11:00 a.m. at the church.

Private interment will be in Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Leola, PA.

In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a memorial contribution to the 529 educational fund of Betty’s granddaughter, Lily Henderson, who was the sparkling light in Betty’s life. Go to Ugifts529.com and enter the Ugift code 36R-F73.

Another option for memorial donations is the Haitian non-profit organization with whom Betty did service work. Go to the website fraternitevalleenne.org