Elizabeth Hefner

Elizabeth Hefner, 105, died on April 15, 2022, at Carleton-Willard Village in Bedford, MA.

She was born in Brooklyn, New York and was the daughter of the late Martin and Anna (Besch) Mutsch. 

Betty graduated from Manual Training High School in Brooklyn in 1934, then graduating from Brooklyn College, and later receiving a Master’s degree in Sociology from Yale University in 1946.  Throughout her schooling she held successive jobs as a legal secretary and in social service settings in Manhattan and New Haven, CT.

In 1947 she married William Hefner and settled in Greenfield, MA, buying a house in nearby Shelburne where they raised a daughter and son, Linda and Robert.  Betty was busy as a homemaker and volunteer in community and church groups, also working parttime in her husband’s accounting office.  She enjoyed outdoor activities, especially skiing – a lifelong pursuit.

After Bill Hefner’s death in 1993, she moved to Carleton-Willard Village where she continued volunteer work and also found time for painting, travel, skiing, and a daily walk.

She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law Robert and Min Hefner, her daughter Linda Takata and husband Glenn, and by her granddaughters Ellen and Rosalind Takata.  She is also survived by her nieces and nephew and their families.

Funeral services will be private.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the World Wildlife Fund at: https://www.worldwildlife.org/ or P.O. Box 96096, Washington, DC 20077.