Elizabeth Congdon

Elizabeth Congdon

Shelburne, VT - Photographer, researcher, devoted wife and mother, Elizabeth "Betty" Congdon died on February 13th, 2024, aged 86 after an eight year long battle with Alzheimer's disease. Born in Quincy FL on January 18th, 1938, Betty grew up in Amherst, MA where she spent her childhood surrounded by her large extended family. Enjoying frequent gatherings with boisterous sing-a-longs, ball games played with her boy cousins in her Uncle's cow pasture, and general merriment, she developed a lifelong devotion to family, music, and baseball! She was the daughter of Archie Hugh Madden and Esther Svea Tidlund Madden. Pride in her Swedish heritage from her mother and Mayflower heritage from her father fueled Betty's lifelong interest in genealogy and historical research.

Betty graduated from Amherst High School in 1955. She then earned her BA from UMASS, Amherst in 1959, but not before meeting Walton Congdon, her future husband of 54 years, at an Episcopal conference center for teenagers where they were summer counselors. They married in 1958 and Betty moved to the Mount Hermon School(later to become the Northfield Mount Hermon School), where Walt taught science. Betty gamely became an instant housemother to a dormful of teenage boys while making many a wintery commute back to Amherst to finish her own degree. The couple welcomed son, Nathan, in 1961, and daughter, Joy, in 1963.

Betty was always deeply involved in her community. During the 40 years she and Walt lived at NMH, Betty mentored dozens of students from all over the world. She was the first Director of Research, a position she held for 22 years, and was employed as a writer and photographer for the schools many publications. In 2001, the NMH Alumni Association gave Betty the prestigious Morrow Award for "a non alumnus who has contributed much to the life and spirit of Northfield Mount Hermon School". Betty's citation in part praised her "deep dimension of goodwill", a hallmark of her whole life as she radiated kindness to all she met.

Her community reach extended far beyond the walls of NMH. Betty was a member of the Northfield Historical Society and of the curatorial committee for the Northfield History Museum, where she spoke frequently on local history and published a paper on Calvin T Swan, an African American carpenter who resided in 18th century Northfield. She researched the history of many of the older homes in Northfield, gifting these histories to the homes present owners. Betty was a proud member of the Northfield Democratic Town Committee. Always a strong advocate for women's rights, Congdon was one of the early women lay eucharistic ministers in the Episcopal Church, and fought for the ordination of women to the Episcopalian ministry. She had a beautiful voice and delighted in her role as a soprano in the Pioneer Valley Symphony Chorus.

Betty had the ability to learn anything she put her mind to: auto body skills to weld up the aging family VW bus, building a dark room and developing her own photographs. She was a consummate seamstress, talented knitter, and possessed a bright green thumb delighting in creating flower arrangements from her flourishing garden. She loved poetry, especially Mary Oliver, and thrived on art, learning oil painting, woodblock printing, collage and silver working. She became a travel planner extraordinaire, whether organizing her own trips to Greece and China to visit her grown children, or masterminding an epic six week family camping trip throughout Europe when the children were six and seven years old. Betty relished the research and adventure of it all.

Betty is survived and will be greatly missed by her son Nathan and his wife Anna of Belfast, Northern Ireland; daughter Joy and her partner Jim of Shelburne, VT; grandchildren Amelia and Marco; and her nephew Eli Madden of Middlebury, VT. She was predeceased by her younger brother John Andrew Geddes Madden of New Haven, VT and her husband, Walton Greenleaf Congdon. The family would like to extend heartfelt thanks to the staff at The Arbors in Shelburne, VT for their loving care of Betty over her last five years.

Betty was laid to rest next to her husband and parents in the Wildwood Cemetery in Amherst, overlooking the field where she learned to play baseball while dodging cow patties! Please join us in celebrating her life and sharing memories at her memorial service at 10 a.m. on June 29th, 2024 at the First Parish Unitarian Church, 72 Main St, Northfield, MA.