Betty Plotkin

With sparkling blue eyes, a ready smile, and a deep love for people, Betty Plotkin (née Lipp) brought warmth and vitality wherever she went. Born and raised in Princeton, New Jersey, Betty was shaped by the challenges of the Great Depression-experiences that instilled in her a lifelong sense of frugality, resilience, courage, and quiet strength.
She trained as a nurse and began her career caring for newborns-an early expression of her nurturing spirit and her lifelong love for babies and caregiving.
In 1956, she married Arieh Plotkin, a foreign graduate student at Princeton University, whom she met at a dance. They spent time living in Israel, where their first daughter was born, before settling in Belle Harbor, on the Rockaway peninsula in New York City, in the late 1950s. There, they raised their four children who all attended public school in Rockaway.
Betty had a gift for connection. She never hesitated to strike up a conversation-whether with a neighbor or a stranger at the supermarket. Her warmth and curiosity left a lasting impression on everyone she met.
She lived with a love of movement and nature. Betty was drawn to the ocean, rode her bicycle through the neighborhood, and continued running well into her 70s. For many years, she tended a community garden plot at Fort Tilden in Rockaway.
After Arieh's passing in 1993, Betty embraced the next chapter with grace. She found love again with her partner of 17 years, Roy Ferguson-whom she also met, coincidentally, at a dance.
In 2018, Betty moved to Hood River, Oregon, to be closer to her daughter Sarah. She remained active and engaged in the senior community.
Betty passed away peacefully on Mother's Day, May 11, 2025, one week after suffering a stroke. She was surrounded by loved ones in her final moments.
She will be deeply missed by her children and their families: Judy and her husband Alan, and their daughters Loren and Ellie; Sarah and her husband David; David and his daughters Annie and Cara; and Michael and his wife Carrie.
Betty will be remembered for her strength, her boundless energy, her love for life-and for delivering her signature verdict on many a conversation or debate with a firm, loving: "Enough already."
Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson's Tribute Center • 1401 Belmont Avenue, Hood River, Oregon 97031. Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.
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