Mary H. "Betsy" Peters

1928 - 2022

Mary Elizabeth "Betsy" H. Peters, former schoolteacher and homemaker, died of natural causes the afternoon of Thursday, September 15, 2022, in her home at Blakehurst Retirement Community. The longtime Towson, MD resident was 94.

Mrs. Peters was born in Washington, D.C. in 1928 and after spending her early childhood there, she moved to Silver Spring, MD. Her mother, Mary Elizabeth Martin Herr, died unexpectedly when Mrs. Peters was two years old. She was raised by her father, John Blanchard Herr, who was an executive with Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission. Mrs. Peters graduated from Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring in 1946 and enrolled at the University of Maryland, College Park.

At the University of Maryland, Mrs. Peters was an active member of the Kappa Delta sorority. She loved fraternity musicals, and often would help out with their production. It was during one of these musicals that she met Philip James "Jim" Peters. Mrs. Peters graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Early Childhood Education in 1950 and married Mr. Peters in 1951.

Early in their marriage the couple moved frequently with Mr. Peters' military service. They were stationed in Indiantown Gap, PA, Ft. Benning, GA, San Francisco, CA and finally Ft. Meade, MD. With Mr. Peters' service obligations complete, the couple decided to live in Baltimore, MD. The couple moved to Connecticut in the early 1960's but returned to the Baltimore area in 1968 and settled in Towson.

Mrs. Peters frequently substituted as an elementary school teacher in the Baltimore County school system and later worked in sales for the A.H. Fetting Company. She was a proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She was an active member of the Church of the Holy Comforter in Lutherville, MD but left in the early '80s to become one of the founding members of St. Stephen's Anglican Church in Timonium.

Mrs. Peters loved old movies, especially the black and white classics of the thirties, forties and fifties. She had an encyclopedic memory of movie plots, actors and directors and was often called "Movie Betsy" by her friends. She loved to travel and cherished her many trips to Europe, especially her visits to England. She loved wildlife and was affectionately referred to as the "bird lady" by her children.

Mrs. Peters is survived by her daughter Susanna P. Wittstadt (Robert) of Baltimore, her son Geoffrey A. Peters (Susan) of Charlotte, NC; three grandchildren John P. Senft (Christina) of Baldwin, MD, Katherine P. Engle (Kyle) of Mamaroneck, NY and Caroline P. Szczecinski (William) of Brooklyn, NY, three great grandchildren and her half-brother Wesley Griffith Herr (Sarah) of Bethesda, MD.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at St. Stephen's Anglican Church. Interment Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Susan G. Komen for the Cure or BARCS (Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter).