Elizabeth FitzGerald Kettler, known as Betty by family and friends, peacefully passed away on May 20 at her residence in Buckingham’s Choice Retirement Community in Buckeystown, Maryland. She was born in Seattle, Washington on September 15, 1929 to Geraldine and Gerald FitzGerald and was raised in Chevy Chase, Maryland. She was a graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School, class of 1947 and went on to obtain a B.A. in English from Ohio Wesleyan University, class of 1951.
Betty worked as an assistant at the Washington bureau of The Billboard magazine and taught nursery school prior to starting a family. She loved to cook, draw, paint and write, and she was an avid traveler and voracious reader. She raised her seven children in both Bethesda and Annapolis, Maryland where she was an active volunteer with Montgomery County Public Schools, Children’s Hospital, the Girl Scouts of America and Meals on Wheels where she delivered food to residents of Montgomery County. Long known for her sense of humor, she enjoyed the theater, her Irish heritage, annual family trips to Ocean City, and most of all, her family.
She is predeceased by Clarence E. Kettler and is survived by their seven children: Richard (Jane), Alan, Thomas (predeceased by Suzanne), James (Naomi), Cathleen, Theresa (Charles) and Patricia (Andrew). Additionally, she is survived by her fifteen grandchildren and two great grandchildren: Frank, Anne, Leah, Michael, Charlotte, Philip, Nicholas, Christine, Jennifer, Taylor, Elizabeth, Margaret, Victoria, Isabella, Violet, Noah and Ellie. Additionally, she leaves behind her sister, Patricia Aubin, and numerous nieces, nephews and friends. She will also be remembered by her faithful driver, Daniel Silverman.
The family will receive friends on Friday, May 27 from 6-9pm at Joseph Gawler’s Sons, 5130 Wisconsin Ave, NW, Washington, DC. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, May 28 at 11am at Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church, 1 Chevy Chase Circle, NW, Washington, DC with burial to follow at Chestnut Grove Cemetery, 831 Dranesville Road, Herndon, VA.
A reception will be held at 2:00 p.m. (following the interment service) at Congressional Country Club (Valet Parking), 8500 River Road, Bethesda, MD 20817.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Meals on Wheels in Betty’s name, https://www.mealsonwheelsmd.org/Donate-Online or mailed directly to Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland, Attn: Development Office, 515 South Haven Street, Baltimore, MD 21244.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18