Betty Z. Benedict

Betty was born in Morristown, NJ on April 17, 1932 to the late Marguerite Louisa (Duker) Zahn and the late Charles George Zahn.

Betty was an extraordinary person both in her personal accomplishments and in the relationships she developed and nurtured throughout her life. She had a wide variety of interests and was always involved with people and productive pursuits. She never turned down a job or activity to which she felt she could make a contribution. She showed early glimpses of this in her years at Grover Cleveland High School in Caldwell, NJ, where she was an Associate Editor of the Clarion school newspaper. She was also a majorette in the marching band and one of the top bowlers on her school team. She had a wonderful sense of humor and was well loved by her peers. Betty balanced all of these activities and relationships while also being a top performing academic student. After her high school graduation in 1950 she enrolled at Wellesley College, where she made many new friendships. She had a rich experience at Wellesley, graduating in 1954 with an AB Degree in Chemistry. Always the practical person, Betty made lipsticks for her friends in the Wellesley Lab. Upon graduation, and typical of her adventurous spirit, she embarked upon a two month “road trip” around the country with a few of her college friends. Also, typical of Betty, she maintained her relationships with her Wellesley friends for the rest of her life.

After graduation Betty began her career as a Lab Assistant at Nickel Processing Corp in Montclair, NJ and then moved on to be an Analytical Control Chemist at Merck & Co., in Danville, PA.

In 1957 Betty married the late Joseph T. Benedict, also a scientist. They were both highly intellectual and shared interests in science, art, reading and travel. Joe was known to recite romantic poems to Betty in front of her friends, much to her embarrassment. They lived in Switzerland for several years early in their marriage, which they thoroughly enjoyed. They shared a happy marriage until Joe’s death in 1996.

Betty was an independent minded woman who continued her education and career during her marriage. She earned her MLS Degree from Rutgers University Graduate School of Library and Information Studies in 1968. She worked for many years as the Periodicals Librarian at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Rutherford, NJ. During this time Betty was a member of the New Jersey Library Association and the Bergen-Passaic Health Sciences Consortium. She also published articles on Library Science. Betty continued her education by earning an MBA from the Fairleigh Dickinson University School of Business Administration in 1980. She was inducted into the Delta Mu Delta National Honor Society in Business Administration and was also named in “Who’s Who of American Women”.

After Joe’s passing in 1996, Betty stayed active with her career and tennis. In 2000 she was invited to a friend’s home for dinner where she met Bob James. They were both independent minded, practical, highly intelligent, well read and kind people. They thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company, and became constant companions for the next sixteen years. Every morning one would call the other, and invariably they would take their dinner together each night. In later years Betty was such a regular visitor at The Cupola that most residents thought she lived there with Bob. Her devotion and commitment to him during his declining years was a true testament to their love. Over the years they enjoyed many activities with their friends in The Hobbyists, including European river boat cruises and the theater. Betty was known to sign them up for events and inform Bob after the fact. However, as long as Betty was there, Bob always enjoyed himself. They also enjoyed time and travel together with Betty’s Wellesley friends and visits with Betty’s cousins. Together they made the annual “pilgrimage “to Newport, RI, Bob’s home town. All the while, Betty continued to play tennis and enjoy many activities with her friends. She also inherited Bob’s family; including two daughters, a son, their respective spouses and seven grandchildren, all who loved her very much. The family enjoyed many holidays, vacations and other fun times together over the years.

Betty is survived by her family and her many friends.

Visitation will be at the Becker Funeral Home, 219 Kinderkamack Road, Westwood, NJ on January 27, 2018 beginning at 9:30 AM. A memorial service will follow at 11:30 AM. Interment will be at Restland Memorial Park, 77 DeForest Avenue, East Hanover, NJ, following the service.

In lieu of flowers, cash donations may be made to: Wellesley College and the Scleroderma Research Foundation. Gifts to Wellesley College can be mailed to: Wellesley College, Office of Development Services, 106 Central Street, Wellesley, MA 02481; or online to, www.wellesley.edu. Gifts to the Scleroderma Research Foundation can be made to: Scleroderma Research Foundation, 220 Montgomery Street, Suite 484, San Francisco, CA 94104; or online to, www.srfcure.org.