Andy CloseBetty Mae Bliss Werner, 93, of Russell, Pa., passed away on Tuesday, December 1, 2020 at the John and Orpha Blair Hospice House following a short illness. Betty was born September 17, 1927, in Brockway, PA., the daughter of the late Claude Harrison Monroe and Annetta Darnell Gage Bliss.
She was a 1946 graduate of Warren Area High School. Betty was a spotter with the Warren County Civil Air Patrol during WWII and worked at the New Process Company in the 1940s. She volunteered at the Well Baby Clinic in Russell, taught Sunday School at both the Russell United Methodist Church and Cable Hollow Church and was a founding member of the Calvary Singers. She was an Eisenhower Knights fan coordinating spaghetti dinners and fundraising activities. Betty did all of this while raising five children. She was a member of the Lakeside Community Chapel in Clearwater, FL and of the ACES Sunday School Class. Betty and her late husband Lawrence, whom she married August 2, 1947, became owners of the Oneida Lumber in 1972 and formed the Oneida Lumber and Ace Hardware Company in 1973. Betty was happiest at her house on the hill where she enjoyed gardening, watching the birds and wildlife, swinging on her porch, wiener roasts, reading, working puzzles, and walking in the woods. In her younger years, she enjoyed bowling and golf, participating in many church and community leagues. She thoroughly enjoyed the many visits throughout the year with family from afar.
She was, and will forever be, remembered as a loving wife, mother, and grandmother. Betty is survived by her five children; David L. (Faye) Werner, of Lakeland, TN; Patsy A. (Frank) Smith of Jacksonville, FL; Jacquelin D. Strain, of Arlington, VA; Dawn A. Werner of Warren, PA; and Bobbi S. (David) Drais, of Fort Worth, TX; five grandchildren: Paul (Erin) Strain, of Washington, DC; Sarah (Joel) Dixon of Eads, TN; Lauren (Richard) Beard of Murfreesboro, TN; Andrea (Matt) Hutton of Murfreesboro, TN; and Matthew Smith of Jacksonville, FL; eleven great-grandchildren; one sister and many nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years Lawrence in 2006 and ten brothers and sisters.
The family would like to extend special thanks to the John and Orpha Blair Hospice House for their exceptional care of Betty and support to the family. The family requests, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the John and Orpha Blair House in Warren, PA.
