Betty F. Stetson, 85
Dateline: Mansfield, MA
Betty F. (Springhetti) Stetson, age 85, of Mansfield, formerly of Brockton, passed away peacefully on Thursday, September 2, 2021 at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston after a very brief illness. She was the beloved wife of the late Richard W. Stetson, to whom she was wed for fifty-seven years at the time of his death on January 3, 2015.
Born in Brockton, MA on November 21, 1935, she was a loving daughter of the late Louis B. and Margaret (Sarkesian) Springhetti.
Betty grew up in Brockton, was a 1953 graduate of Brockton High School, and furthered her education, attending Massasoit Community College.
Prior to retiring, Mrs. Stetson worked as a store manager at Firefly Jewelry & Gifts, a business owned by her son-in-law. She was previously employed for twenty years at State Street Consultants in Boston and also as a retail buyer at King Size Company in Brockton.
Betty personified love. Her personality was magnetic, her laughter was contagious and her energy was endless. She loved world travel and history, having visited many of the European countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Austria and the Netherlands, soaking up the art, culture and great food of each country. At the age of 83 she took up the Italian language with her daughter, in anticipation of future travels.
A resident of Mansfield for the past eleven years, Betty embraced her life in Mansfield, easily making many new friends wherever she went. She was actively involved with many committees at the Council on Aging and happily joined them on many local trips. The Mansfield Public Library was her second home, where she participated in many book clubs and visited the staff often. She was a voracious reader and read over 100 books each year. She did not let COVID impact her love for people and books. She learned how to Zoom and attended at least 3 Zoom book clubs per week all over the country.
Betty’s greatest love was for her family – daughter Donna, son-in-law Marty, her grandson, Daniel, her brothers and their families. She cared for Daniel from the day he was born. As he got older, she delighted in driving him to his soccer and hockey games. She was a fixture at all of his games, happily chatting with all the parents. Daniel’s teammates and their families became part of her extended family. Everyone knew Betty.
Her greatest love was for her daughter, Donna. She had the biggest heart and reminded Donna each day of how much she loved her and how happy she was to be her mother. To say that Betty and Donna were close does not quite capture their relationship. Mother and daughter became sisters over time, traveled the world together and spoke nearly every day. Quite often Donna would come home from work and get a voice message from mom that began, “Hi, this is your favorite mother…” Betty only lived one mile down the road from Donna and that was on purpose. Donna hired Betty not once, but twice, to work with her at a consulting firm and then at our family business.
For the last five years Betty was Donna’s partner in crime as Donna sold her jewelry at craft shows all over MA and RI. Donna would pick her up at 6 am on many Saturdays in the summer. Betty was all dressed and in full makeup as she entered the car. And she always entered the car in mid-sentence. The conversation never ended. She would set up at the craft shows and then she would be off making friends with customers and crafters alike. Many times, customers would come into Donna’s booth to say, “I just met your mother and she told me to come over and buy some jewelry.” She was Donna’s biggest cheerleader. Her ability to connect and engage with people was extraordinary and this was part of her life blood. As her grandson Daniel said, “Gramma wrote her own story and each chapter was rich with love and adventures.”
She is survived by her devoted daughter Donna M. Stetson and her husband Martin N. Checkoway of Mansfield. She was the cherished grandmother of Daniel S. Checkoway of Mansfield. She was the dear sister of Edward Springhetti and his wife Janice of West Bridgewater, Donald Springhetti and his wife Deb of Marshfield, Dennis Springhetti of Brockton and the late Carl Springhetti. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews, including Steve Springhetti of Kingston, and many dear friends, including Eileen and Diane.
Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend visiting hours on Thursday, September 9th from 5:00-8:00 P.M. at the Sherman & Jackson Funeral Home, 55 North Main Street, Mansfield.
Her funeral service will be held on Friday, September 10th at 10:00 A.M. at the Sherman & Jackson Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Saint Michael’s Cemetery in Avon.
In place of flowers, those wishing may remember Betty with a donation in her memory made to the Mansfield Public Library, 255 Hope Street, Mansfield, MA 02048.
To send her family a message of condolence, please visit www.shermanjackson.com