Elizabeth Rectanus DeBlois

Elizabeth Rectanus DeBlois
Elizabeth Rectanus DeBlois, also known as Betsy DeBlois Yale, of Middletown, RI died at home on Saturday, May 15, 2021 from complications resulting from cancer. She was born in Boston, the elder of twin daughters, to Sidney Rectanus and Stephen Weldin DeBlois. She was 70.
The family of four girls resided in Concord, MA. They summered in Annisquam, MA. Betsy attended Concord Academy and the University of Vermont. She was graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a Bachelor of Science in Ocean Engineering.
Betsy began her career at Interstate Electronics in Anaheim, CA, working on underwater vehicles. She changed her focus to the petroleum support industry at Smith International in Long Beach, CA. She returned to the East Coast to work for the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, RI in 1983. She was a member of the Test and Evaluation Department for 30 years. During that time, she obtained a Master of Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island and a doctorate in Environmental Sciences from the University of Massachusetts Boston.
In 2000, Betsy married William Scott Yale of Newport, RI. They shared seven years of sailing, travel and pets before he died of cancer. After his death, she moved from cruising in their Valiant to racing a Shields, both out of the Ida Lewis Yacht Club.
Retirement brought more travel and education. Interested in her father's memoirs as Eisenhower's radar staff officer, she traveled to Haverfordwest, Wales to walk the grounds of RAF Ripperston where he helped develop the field RADAR station to repel the German bombers in 1941.
Betsy was a communicant of St. Columba's Chapel for 25 years, where she sang with the choir. Recently, she also attended the Church of Saint John the Evangelist in Newport for morning prayer.
She is survived by her twin sister, Kate DeBlois McMahon of County Galway, Ireland, her elder sister, Holly DeBlois of Gloucester, MA and her younger sister, Sarah DeBlois of New York City. She leaves six nieces and nephews, five grand nieces and nephews and three godsons.
A memorial service will be held at St. Columba's Chapel at 11am on Wednesday, May 26 at 55 Vaucluse Avenue, Middletown, RI. Interment will follow in St. Columba's churchyard. There will also be a private memorial service for Betsy at Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA the next day.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Amedisys Foundation, Beacon Hospice, 1130 Ten Rod Road, Suite A205, North Kingstown, RI 02852.
Arrangements are by the O'Neill-Hayes Funeral Home. For online tributes and more information, please visit www.oneillhayes.com.