Biography: ELIZABETH J. “BETTY” WESSELDINE
SHERRILL- Elizabeth J. “Betty” Wesseldine, 83, formerly of W. Hinds Avenue, passed away Friday, April 15, 2022, in Venice, Florida. She died peacefully with her daughter and granddaughters by her side.
Born in High Point, North Carolina, on November 11, 1938, she was the daughter of Kenneth and Willa (Campbell) Whitesell. Betty was a graduate of High Point High School and received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in elementary teaching from the Women’s College of the University of North Carolina, which later became University of North Carolina- Greensboro. She met and married Ralph P. Wesseldine while she was teaching and he was stationed in Germany, on June 23, 1968.  They moved back to the States in 1969, where they happily lived for over fifty years, although her Southern blood never adjusted to the long New York winters.
Betty retired in 1994 from the Oneida City School District, spending the large majority of her thirty-two year teaching career at the Durhamville Elementary School.  She had an unwavering value for education that was passed on to her dear friends and family. She was an active member of both the First Presbyterian Church of Oneida and local quilting groups. During her years of retirement, Betty enjoyed traveling the east coast with her husband in their beloved RV and spending her time sewing, quilting, gardening, reading books, and baking with her granddaughters. Her final years were spent in Florida with her daughter and family, where she would take walks in the sunshine, explore new plants and gardens, meet many new people, and make everyone around her laugh with her newfound whit and sass.
Surviving are her daughter and son-in-law, Tricia and James Hoyer of Clayville; her two granddaughters, Paige and Emma Zupan; her brother, Donald Whitesell of Round Hill, Virginia; her sister-in-law, Sara Whitesell of Pensacola, Florida; her late husband’s family, Charles and Judy Wesseldine of Oneida Castle and Robert Allen of Sherrill; and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her loving husband and best friend of over 50 years, Ralph Wesseldine, and her two sisters-in-law, Judy Whitesell and Rhoda Allen. Betty, or “Sue”, as he called her, was joined in eternal rest by her brother, William K. Whitesell, on April 17th, 2022, just two days after her passing.
 A very special thank you goes out to Dr. Matt Siegenthaler and the caring staff at Venice Green Village who ensured that her journey with Alzheimer’s Disease was done with dignity and grace. While we can’t thank all who knew and loved Betty, a heartfelt thanks goes to her “Durhamville Gang” and loyal friend, Laura Reckentine.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, May 6, 2022 at the First Presbyterian Church in Oneida, with the Reverend Michael Yeoman officiating. Interment will be made in Valley View Cemetery, followed by a reception for friends and family. Contributions in her memory may be made to the Sherrill-Kenwood Free Library, 534 Sherrill Road, Sherrill, NY 13461.
To leave a message of condolence, kindly visit www.campbell-dean.com.