SPARTA – Margaret Elizabeth (Betty) Douglass, 86, was smart, funny, feisty, caring, thoughtful and full of class. She was a fashion beacon, always impeccably dressed and poised. She grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and attended Ohio State University, making her a huge Buckeye fan!
After college, she worked for a major jewelry store and volunteered as a Grey Lady with the Red Cross. In 1956 she met a young Air Force pilot, Jim Douglass, at the officers’ club in Columbus. Six weeks later, they were married. When Jim was hired as a commercial airline pilot with Pan Am, they moved to the East Coast, settling in Edison, while they searched for where they wanted to spend their lives. They found that place in Sparta. Betty and Jim lived at Lake Mohawk for 58 years.
Betty was the matriarch of the family and things had to be done her way, but let’s face it, her way was usually best. She was quick-witted with a wicked sense of humor and could cut you off at the knees with a zinger. She was curious, well read and never lost her passion for education. Her love of Southern writers led to her developing a soft spot for the South. She made pilgrimages to Hilton Head, S.C., disguised as vacations, multiple times a year and came to embody through osmosis that southern charm. She kept abreast with current events in politics domestically, globally and locally. Betty loved animals, decorating, sewing, shopping and was always up for a good verbal joust.
Betty felt that life was to be enjoyed and loved having a good time! As the wife of an airline pilot, she traveled with her husband to Honolulu, Rome, Paris, London, Madrid, Beirut, and Istanbul, in addition to trips to Las Vegas with friends and to various cities in the U.S. for the annual Air Force reunions.
Betty and Jim were among some of the first year-round residents of Lake Mohawk and were active members of the community. Betty participated and hosted destination dinners, clambakes, and bridge club gatherings. She was a longtime supporter of and The Wounded Warriors Project.
It was her request that no service be held immediately following her death, but that her family wait to honor her life at the time of her husband’s memorial and for the service to be a celebration of both their lives. The funeral for James R. Douglass and life celebration for Betty and Jim will take place at Goble Funeral Home, 22 Main St., Sparta, on Thursday, March 1.
The viewing will begin at 11 a.m. and the service will start promptly at noon. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to in the Douglass family name.
Published in The New Jersey Herald on Feb. 25, 2018