Elizabeth Allebach

1932 - 2024

Elizabeth Allebach

Hanover, NH - Elizabeth "Betty" Belle Peach Allebach, 91, beloved family member and friend to many, died peacefully at Kendal of Hanover on April 7, 2024. She was surrounded by many relatives and close friends and the caring staff in her final days.

Betty was a seventh-generation Vermonter, born in Montpelier on December 29, 1932, to Francis Bingham Peach and Marjorie Tewksbury Peach. She grew up in Swanton and Island Pond Vermont as her father worked for the U. S. Customs Service. During these years Betty was involved in 4-H and was able to milk her neighbor Mr. Coe's cow! She was very tall like her dad and played on the basketball team at Brighton High School. After high school, she attended the University of Vermont and earned her degree in English in 1954.

Betty was married briefly to an artist. Many of his paintings graced her homes. For forty years Betty had a very rewarding career as the Administrative Director of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Pouring her heart and soul into her work, she touched the lives of many Bureau students and staff. When the Bureau celebrated its' 90th year of service, it was written that "the importance of Betty Allebach can never be overestimated." She was praised as "the embodiment of institutional continuity." Also of note is the fact that she never owned a car until later in life, so she walked to and from work across Harvard Square in all weather. This included three flights of stairs to her apartment, as her building had no elevator.

In 2002 Betty retired from the Bureau and started a rich and full retirement. She spent summers on her ancestral land and farm in West Newbury, Vermont. Betty enjoyed gardening and using her inherited carpentry skills to maintain the 1832 farmhouse. She also hosted many annual Thanksgiving dinners there with her extended family. Betty became involved in the West Newbury community as well and worked tirelessly on many activities like the Turkey Supper and Summer Festival.

Betty traveled extensively with her friends and visited many wonderful cities and countries like London, Scotland, Greece, and Morocco. Each trip was enjoyed and then thoughtfully documented in journals and photograph albums.

She moved to Kendal in 2012 and it became another chapter in her long life. She leaves behind dear friends and neighbors and her beautifully decorated apartment.

She is survived by two nieces, Mary Anne Bearse of Reston, VA, and Elizabeth Fooks (Danny) of Staunton, VA, and a large extended family including a great-niece Phoebe Fooks of Denver, CO, and a great-nephew Stuart Fooks of Richmond, VA. She is preceded by her sister Alison Peach Bearse Armstrong and her loving cousins Phyllis Manning Ellis Otterman and Maureen Manning Hall. The four cousins had a special bond as they shared family traditions and adventures. This included many gatherings at their camp on Hall's Lake which their grandfather built.

A celebration of Betty's life will be held in July at the West Newbury Hall (date to be determined).

Donations can be made in her name to The West Newbury Hall (P. O. Box 85, West Newbury, VT 05085).

To offer the family an online condolence, please visit www.rickerfh.com

Ricker Funeral Home and Cremation Care of Woodsville is assisting the family with arrangements.