Betsy Condron

1928 - 2020

KINGSTON — Betsy Bell Condron, 91, formerly of Kingston, died Friday, Jan. 10, 2020.

Born March 15, 1928, she was the daughter of the late George T. and Sara Wolfe Bell of Wilkes-Barre. She graduated from the Wilkes-Barre Day School (now Wyoming Seminary), Skidmore College and held an M.Ed. from Wilkes College/University.

Known for her volunteer work in local, state and national fields of health, education and welfare, she was named a Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania in 1975 and later served as its president. Additional honors included Pennsylvania Medical Society's Benjamin Rush Outstanding Service Award, Luzerne County's Homemaker Service Merit Award; Pennsylvania Health Department Outstanding Volunteer Award.

State and national leaderships included Vice Chair of Governor Scranton's Commission on the Status of Women, Chair Education Committee Task Force on Health Manpower, Director of International Association of Junior Leagues of America, vice president Pennsylvania Council of Home Health Services, Vice President Medical College Pennsylvania Commonwealth Board, Selection Board for Hahnemann Medical College-Wilkes, program head Mid-Atlantic States Y-Teen Boards, vice president of Skidmore College's Alumnae and Leadership Board; and the Pennsylvania Bar Association Judicial Campaign Committee.

Mrs. Condron's numerous regional leaderships included Leadership Wilkes-Barre's founding board, Children Service Center vice president executive board, Nesbitt Hospital Board and Chair of its Drug Alcohol Abuse Center, "Choices," Wilkes-Barre Junior League President, Luzerne County's Homemaker Service founder and President, Chair of Luzerne County's Constitutional Revision Committee, Acting Chair of Valley Crest Home for the Aging, Co-Chair for Economic Growth, Board of The Kirby Episcopal House, Glen Summit and the Luzerne Co. Historical Society Board.

She also served the United Way in its cabinet holding chairmanships and acting in several 13-week series "The Betsy and Bill Show" on WBRE-TV during television's early years in Wyoming Valley. In her later years she gave tours and lectures on Wilkes-Barre's history and architecture.

Some of Mrs. Condron's additional Board memberships were League of Women Voters, Welfare Planning Council, Girls Scout Reorganization, Flood Recovery Task Force of 1972, PBS's WVIA-Radio, YWCA, Economic Development Council, Children's Home, Blue Cross as a community member of Luzerne County's Law and Library Association Executive Board and its Charitable Foundation Board. As a member of the Forty Fort Meeting House Preservation Committee, she co-chaired its Bicentennial Celebration in 2007.

Mrs. Condron taught at the Northampton School for Girls and Wyoming Seminary where she was the College Placement Director from 1969-1979. At that time she founded the North Eastern Pennsylvania committee of High School-College Admission Counselors and inaugurated the summer-abroad student tour program at Wyoming Seminary. She then joined the administration of Wilkes College/ University as director of Planned Giving, Development, Community Relations and Special Events. She received the Wilkes Colonel Award. She retired in 1998.

She enjoyed a large extended family, friendships and broad travel experiences including a month in India to study the problems of women in that country.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph C. Condron; her stepson, James Condron; stepdaughter Deborah (John) Hoffman; and brother George T. (Kathie) Bell.

Surviving are her daughters, Sara/Sally Parkhurst (Norman) Van Why, Bedford and Betsy/Binky Parkhurst (John) Carroll of Wellington, Florida; stepchildren David (Pat) Condron, Ellicott City, Maryland, Carol (Delbert) Keisling, Marco Island, Florida; Mark (Maria) Condron Huntington Beach, California; grandchildren Beth, Eric, Brian, Arthur; as well as step-grandchildren Sara, Michael, Mary, Gretchen, Kara, Katie, Sean, Dan, Joseph and Charles; and nine great-grandchildren. She will also be missed by her many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020, at Church of Christ Uniting, 109 S. Sprague St., Kingston, with the Rev. Dr. Carol Ann Fleming, officiating.

Family and friends are asked to call 4 to 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 13, 2020, at Hugh B. Hughes & Son Inc. Funeral Home, 1044 Wyoming Ave., Forty Fort.

In lieu of flowers, if desired memorials may be made to the George Thompson and Sara Wolfe Bell Scholarship at Wilkes University, Children's Service Center, or the Luzerne Foundation.

For more information or to send the family an online condolence, please visit the funeral home website at hughbhughes.com.