Betty Jane Ford

A memorial service celebrating the life of Betty Jane Ford, 86, of Granville, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan, will be held at 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at First Presbyterian Church, 110 W. Broadway, Granville with the Rev. Thom Lamb and Rev. Karen J. Chakoian officiating.

Betty died Thursday, May 5, 2011, with family by her side at home. She was born January 7, 1925 in Shreveport, LA to the late Ethel Deutsch and Richard Neff. At a very early age, she developed a deep love and concern for those of other races, and reached out to two African-American grade school classmates (both named Betty!) during a time when inter-racial friendships were not particularly common.

After graduating from Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati, OH, Betty went on to study at Denison University in Granville, OH, earning a degree in English in 1946. She was an active member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. Later in life, she earned her Masters Degree in English from Columbia University.

Upon completing her studies at Denison, Betty lived in Kalamazoo, working for both WKZO radio and as a society columnist for the Kalamazoo Gazette. She met and married her husband Frank, and they began their family soon afterward.

Betty found her calling in life when she became a teacher in the late 1960's, beginning her career as an English teacher at Skyline High School in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Her passions included making learning both fun and relevant for her students, and instilling a lifelong love of great literature, particularly classics by Shakespeare and Chaucer. She later became a Professor of Reading and Study Skills at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, NY, facing the challenge of helping inner-city students grow in their reading and writing skills.

When Betty moved back to Granville in 1998 after her husband Frank's death, she dove into community life, making fast friends wherever she went. Betty's strong and vibrant Christian faith, along with a sincere concern for others, led to many lives being touched by God's love. She was an active member of First Presbyterian Church in Granville, and became deeply and passionately involved with the Missions Committee. Her concern for the poor and afflicted both globally and locally, coupled with her great generosity, resulted in countless disadvantaged people and missions projects being helped around the world. Betty also put her teaching gifts to good use, tutoring and motivating students in the Granville schools for a number of years. She made many special friends in the area, especially her neighbors along her beloved Donald Ross Drive, and loved nothing more than visiting with friends over a glass of wine.

Surviving are her son and daughter-in-law, Robert and Marleen Ford of Boalsburg, PA; daughter and son-in-law, Wendy and Allan Levy of Frederick, MD; grandchildren, Gregory and Scott Ford and Caleb and Nathan Levy; and brother and sister-in-law, Richard and Marge Neff of Granville.

In addition to her parents, Betty was preceded in death by her husband of 48 years, Frank Ford, Jr. who died in 1998; brother, Robert Neff and sister, Carol Neff.

To ensure family receipt, please express all online condolences at www.mcpeekhoekstra.com.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Licking County Coalition of Care, P.O. Box 8663, Newark, Ohio 43058 or online at www.coalitionofcare.net