WAYNESBORO – The young girl who loved school never strayed far from the classroom.
Frances Betts, who celebrates her 100th birthday today, recalled that passion for education to be a teacher was the reason she went to college … “period.”
Born Sept. 20, 1925, in Waynesboro, she was one of nine children of Ervin E. and Mary E. (Welty) Newcomer – Betts had seven older siblings and one younger brother.
“My Dad was a farmer at the Wharf, (where she was born in the family home) and the Price’s Church area.
The family moved to the house located at Newcomer’s Truck Parts on Route 316 when she was five. The house later became the home of her brother, Jim, who started the business. I remember collecting milk each morning after getting up at 6 a.m. and then walking up to Grove Hill School on Wharf Road.” The school, now a residence, was heated by a wood stove in the middle of the room and held eight grades of students, according to Betts.
She went on to attend Quincy High School, graduating in 1943. “I was a member of the drama club and enjoyed the practices and productions, every bit of it.”
Betts recalled that she was interviewed in her home by a representative of Juniata College to attend the Huntingdon school.
The first year at Juniata Betts lived with a family in the college town. “The registrar didn’t think Dad had the money, but he paid for every cent of my education.” For the last three years at Juniata, Betts lived in the dorm. “I majored in secondary education and French and Spanish. I liked languages, was a member of the French Club and also played intramural basketball. I was also in a couple of musicals.” Betts worked in the library at Juniata and on the family farm when she came home for the summers.
She graduated from Juniata in 1947. “I came home and taught at Quincy High School – English, French and Spanish. I wasn’t much older than the seniors,” she noted.
Betts met her husband, Ferdinand, in July 1947. “It was a blind date – friends introduced us. We went to the movies at The Arcade.” The couple was engaged at Christmas and married March 27, 1948, in Waynesboro Church of the Brethren. “My sister Jane made my dress and veil. The reception was at my parents’ house.” They honeymooned in New York City – her first trip there – and “saw the sights,” including the Empire State Building and other tourist spots. They traveled by train – Ferdinand was a lifelong train enthusiast, and she shared his spiritedness for the rails.
They welcomed their first child, Daniel, Dec. 28, 1948, and daughter, Ann (Dickey) May 26, 1950. In 1951, Ferdinand, who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, was called to active duty from the U.S. Naval Reserves during the Korean War.
“We lived in a small, second floor apartment next to his parents’ home on North Potomac Street,” (in Waynesboro) she recalled. There was no washing machine so she used the one at the home of her in-laws, Ferdinand Sr. and Marie Betts. “There was no dryer. We hung laundry out or in the basement.”
The couple lived there two years before buying a home at 27 W. North St. in Waynesboro and welcomed daughters Nancy (Mace) and Mary (Betts) in 1954 and 1957 respectively.
“It was a lot of work while Ferd was in the Navy, and after he got home, I started substitute teaching, mostly in Quincy Township. My sister, Dort, who worked at McCrory’s (in Waynesboro) brought my Mom to our house to watch the kids,” she said.
In 1962, they built a home on Barnett Avenue in Wayne Heights, where they lived for 55 years. Betts taught French, Spanish and English at Quincy Township High School for four years before starting a full-time stint at Snider Avenue School in 1962, where she taught sixth grade. She retired a couple of years after returning to work following a bout with colon cancer in 1975.
Two years after starting her job at Snider Avenue, Betts, who held a secondary education degree, was required to earn her elementary certification. “I went to Shippensburg State College for three summers to earn the credits. I couldn’t have done it without Ferd’s help.”
One of the couple’s favorite spots to visit was Renfrew Park, near their home in Wayne Heights, often with their grandchildren, who they enjoyed babysitting.
“We loved to go to Orbisonia, Caledonia, Pen Mar Park and Harper’s Ferry, ride bikes on the C&O Canal and our daily walks in the neighborhood. We also took some (overnight) train trips to Chicago to visit his buddy from the Navy. It was nice getting breakfast on the train and watching the scenery.”
The Bettses also traveled by train to California three times to visit her sister, Ann, and enjoyed family trips to Butler to visit his brother, John. “We also enjoyed going to his Navy ship reunions. We did that for 20 years … all over the country. We stayed friends with all those people.”
As members of Evangelical Lutheran Church in Waynesboro, “attending church was very important to us. We also enjoyed going to music concerts, especially organ.”
The couple, married more than 68 years before Ferdinand died in 2016, also have eight grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Betts moved in with her daughter, Ann, and her husband, Duane, in 2017 and lived with them for seven years.
Today she enjoys her daily walks along Eighth Street, where she lives with her daughter, Mary, and at Rotary Park.
Even though she is celebrating her 100th birthday, Betts said she feels the same as she always has. “I feel good. I’m thankful I am as healthy as I am. I’d like everyone to know I took care of myself. That’s why I’ve lived to be 100.” Betts, who said she has always watched what she ate, still enjoys treating herself to dessert, especially her favorite, chocolate cake. “I also love fried chicken – my mother thought that was the best meal – and roast chicken too.”
Betts also has advice for a happy marriage. “Avoid conflicts. Ferd and I never fought.” The centenarian added that she is thankful for every day and still being able to communicate with friends and family.
