Elizabeth Goodspeed

Goodspeed, Elizabeth J.
Elizabeth Jane Reeves Goodspeed, Dec. 16, 1922 – May 14, 2015 died on May 14, 2015 in New Rochelle, New York. She was born on Dec. 16, 1922 in Philadelphia, Penn., and moved with her parents – Beauford H. Reeves and Elizabeth G. (Trible) Reeves – to New Haven, Conn. a year later. Her parents called her "Betty Jane," and later she became known to all her friends as "BJ." She attended the Foote School, class of 1936, and Prospect Hill School, class of 1940, both located in New Haven. In the early 1930s the family moved to Pine Orchard, a neighborhood of Branford, Conn. located on the Sound shore. BJ's father was an avid sailor, and she often recalled how she served as her father's crew from the age of six. BJ graduated from Vassar in 1944, where she majored in English and participated in several theatrical productions. In the fall of 1944 she began working at the office of Yale Studies for Returning Service Men (where men returning from the war were assisted with the resumption of their college courses). While there she met her future husband Norwick R.G. "Nick" Goodspeed, who was attending Yale Law School. They were married on June 15, 1946 in Branford, Conn. Thereafter they lived in Fairfield – on Birch Road, South Benson Road, and the corner of Congress and Burr Streets – for over 60 years. During that time BJ was a member of the Junior League, a volunteer at the Westport Country Playhouse, chairman of the Guild of the American Shakespeare Theater, a board member at the Museum of Art Science and Industry; and a founding member of the Fairfield Women's Exchange (established in 1962). She also appeared in several productions by the Fairfield Comedy Club in the 1960s. BJ's most extensive volunteer efforts were devoted to the American Red Cross. She served as "officer of the day" for scores of blood banks run by the Fairfield Chapter of the Red Cross, where she also held various administrative positions. In 1984 BJ was the first woman appointed as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Southeastern Fairfield County Chapter of the Red Cross. At the time, The Bridgeport Post editorialized that "after 25 years of volunteer service, it's time for her to be directing the operations of this vital service organization." BJ won several volunteer-service awards from the Red Cross, including the organization's highest, the Clara Barton Award for "exceptional leadership," which was presented in 1997 by Elizabeth Dole, then President of the Red Cross. Nick Goodspeed, a senior executive at People's Savings Bank in Bridgeport for many years, also received the Clara Barton Award at the same presentation. BJ was an inveterate Mets fan, reader and needlepointer (she made custom needlepoint Christmas stockings for all of her family). She was renowned and beloved among her family and friends as a generous, witty, intelligent and engaging companion. BJ was predeceased by her husband Nick in Dec. 2010, and her son Norwick B.H. "Wick" Goodspeed in Oct. 2012. She is survived by her son Roger C. Goodspeed and his wife Laura K. Goodspeed; her daughter-in-law Mary F. Goodspeed; and her grandchildren Norwick T.R. "Nick" Goodspeed, William M. "Will" Goodspeed, Lily H. Goodspeed, Elizabeth J. Goodspeed, Samuel R. Goodspeed, Mary L. "Molly" Goodspeed and Una V. Goodspeed. Funeral services will be announced at a later date.