Otto John Betz Jr

Otto John Betz,Jr

Age: 98 • Garden City

O. John Betz Jr died on Monday, October 23, 2017. He was 98 years old. Shortly after being born in Floral Park, New York his family moved to Garden City, Long Island where he lived for the rest of his life. After graduating from St Pauls School (Garden City) in 1938 where he was a member of the swim team and manager of the football team, he went on to the University of Virginia where he continued his swimming career and was a member of the Phi Gamma delta fraternity. He served in the Marine corps during World War II where he fought in the Pacific and attained the rank of Captain. After the war he enjoyed a long career with Morgan Guaranty Trust Co., primarily as an officer in the Corporate lending division. He retired in 1983.

He loved the game of golf and was a member of the Garden City Golf Club for 67 years where he served on the board and was President in 1971-72. He was a long time member and board member of the Father and Son Golf Association and a member of the United States Seniors Golf Association. He also served on the board of Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, NY.

He is survived by his sister Phyllis Betz Rhein, his three sons all of whom live in Vermont; O John Betz III and Anna Howes Betz, Alexander K Betz and Rebecca Betz, and Robert G Betz, 5 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife Ethel (Butchie) Gurney Betz in 2011. They were married for 67 years.

After he retired he spent his summers at the family camp in Inlet, NY where he swam twice a day, played a little golf and painted anything and everything needing paint. He was forever fixing something and he was always messing around in boats (to the delight of his wife Butchie since it kept him out of her hair). He loved the Adirondacks not only for its beauty and the good friends he had there, but also because being at camp allowed him to be with his growing family. He sat at the head of the dinner table on the porch where he used his humor and wit to engage 4 generations in spirited conversation (it was helpful that he had some hearing loss as he aged because some of the younger generations used a little more colorful and perhaps a little less civilized language than he was accustomed to at dinner). And whereas he expected a lot from his children and grandchildren in terms of being polite, productive and responsible people, he demanded as much or more from himself. He was a gentleman and he will be missed.

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