Mary Elizabeth Morris

On April 12, Mary Elizabeth Morris, lifelong resident of Queens, New York, died peacefully at her home at the age of 100.

Mary Elizabeth, known to her family and friends as Betty, was born on December 19, 1920 in New York City, the eldest of four children of Dr. John H. Morris and Edna O’Neill Morris. She was raised in Jackson Heights, Queens, where she lived until her death.

Betty was a 1943 graduate of Mount Holyoke College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English. In 1944 she began working for Time Inc. in New York, and remained with the company until her retirement in 1986.

During her long career with Time, Betty held a variety of editorial assistant positions, working directly with the senior editors of Life and Fortune magazines, including John K. Jessup and Daniel Seligman. She relished contributing to these publications during what she called their heyday, and cherished her front-row seat to the events and public conversations that helped shape the 20th Century. She often said that no two days were alike, and enjoyed regaling others with Time Inc. lore.

After retiring, Betty volunteered for 20 years at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, assisting nurses, serving meals, and comforting patients. In 2014, the hospital recognized Betty for her long service at an award ceremony honoring volunteers.

Until confined during her last years, Betty was always in motion, darting through congested streets in her trademark Ferragamo heels to catch the subway. She didn’t drive, and in fact there were two contemporary “essentials” that she eschewed for her entire life: driver’s license and credit card.

Among Betty’s many passions was music. She sang with the St. George’s Choral Society in New York City for 40 years – once, she was proud to say, at Lincoln Center. She was a huge Frank Sinatra fan and enjoyed repeating that oft-quoted line: “It’s Frank’s world. We just live in it.”

She was also an avid tennis player, a member of the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills for more than 20 years. And she traveled widely throughout her life, visiting Nepal, India, Morocco, Egypt, Tanzania, Greece, Turkey, France, Italy, Switzerland, and the Western United States, including Hawaii.

But the greatest joy and privilege of her long life, she often said, was closer to home: living with and caring for her mother in the apartment they shared in Jackson Heights, until her mother’s death in 1986.

Betty’s zest for life, curiosity, and sense of wonder are captured by the words of Henry Luce, co-founder of the company she proudly served for four decades, whose vision for Life magazine she found inspiring:

The magazine would enable readers, Luce said, “To see life. To see the world. To eyewitness great events. To watch the faces of the poor and the gestures of the proud. To see strange things – machines, armies, multitudes, shadows in the jungle and on the moon. To see man’s work – his paintings, towers, and discoveries. To see things thousands of miles away, things hidden behind walls and within rooms. To see and take pleasure in seeing. To see and be amazed. To see and be instructed.”

Betty is predeceased by her three siblings, Joan, Jack, and Edna. She is survived by 12 beloved nieces and nephews: Joan McNally and Mary McNally of Billings, Montana; John McNally of Arlington, Massachusetts; Ned McNally of Farmington, New Mexico; Joan Miller and Marian Morris of Dubuque, Iowa; Cathy Smith of Rochester, New Hampshire; Barbara Smith of Nashua, New Hampshire; George Smith of New York City; Alex Steelsmith of Kailua, Hawaii; Sue Smith of Boulder, Colorado; and Betty Smith of Baltimore, Maryland.

She is also survived by many grandnieces and nephews, other relatives, and dear friends and neighbors.

To these family members and friends, Betty embodied New York City energy: razor sharp humor and intellect, strong convictions, fierce loyalty, and unswerving love. She was an unforgettable presence.

Betty’s family extends its deepest gratitude to her devoted caregivers, especially Maggie Alsultany.

Betty will be cremated, and her ashes will be buried at St. John of God Cemetery in Central Islip, New York at a later date. If desired, donations in Betty’s memory can be made to the Jackson Heights Beautification Group, for which Betty volunteered.