Bettie Joan Swanson

Bettie Joan Swanson of Leominster, Massachusetts, formerly of Bethel, Connecticut, passed away peacefully on June 3, 2025 in Sterling, Massachusetts, at the age of 93. Born on April 4, 1932, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, she was the daughter of the late Raleigh and Anna (Anarshus) Moore.
She is predeceased by her father and mother, sister, June Bulpett, brothers Thomas Moore and William Moore, husband, Russell Fabian Swanson, and her beloved and much missed son, Jon Russell Swanson.
Bettie and Russell had three children, Donna (Swanson Gallagher) Saiia, Jon Swanson, and James Swanson. She will also be missed by her grandchildren, Michael Gallagher, Christina Gallagher, Cheryl Starybrat (Mark), Jon G. Swanson (Rhonda), and Jeffrey Swanson, as well as her great-grandchildren Lila Starybrat, Briggs Starybrat, Lillian Swanson, Jon Everett Swanson, and Henry Swanson.
She grew up in Malden, Massachusetts and moved to Bethel, Connecticut when she married, living there for sixty-three years during which she raised her children. Bethel, and Connecticut as a whole, held a special place in her heart. She loved cats (above all), reading, playing the piano, old movies and needlework.
A graveside service will be on Monday, June 9, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. in Elmwood Cemetery in Bethel, Connecticut. Bettie has requested that, as a lover of all things cats, in lieu of flowers, cat food (or a donation) be given to a local cat shelter.