Betty Allen Spadaro

Betty Allen Spadaro

Betty Allen Spadaro

Betty Spadaro wrote these words herself, according to Michael G. Angiolillo, her long-time friend who is director of the funeral home in White Hall, New York.

Betty Allen Spadaro died on May 2, 2022. Betty, the daughter of the late Virgil Allen and Stella Horton Allen Vroman, grew up in Amsterdam and Schenectady. She was a graduate from Nott Terrace High School in 1936 and Oneonta Normal School in 1939 with a certificate to teach elementary grades. It was there where she met many of her life-long friends. Betty was awarded the Bachelor of Education and later the Masters of Education degrees from the New York State Teachers College in Albany.

Betty commenced teaching in the Bozenkill Rural School Knox 12 located a mile above Altamont.  (This school building has been placed on the Altamont fairgrounds and dedicated in Betty’s honor.) She taught in a two-room school located in the Jericho School of South Albany for one year. Betty joined the Altamont High School faculty and taught grades 5 and 6 with 39 children her first year. During the following years, schools were becoming very crowded and churches, legions, firehouses, and homes were used. She served on the committee to centralize the area’s rural schools into the Guilderland Central School District.

Betty became president of the teachers’ association of the Guilderland district and a representative at the annual teachers’ state association convention for four years. After 39 years of teaching, in 1979 she retired. While a teacher, Betty stressed the basics along with emphasizing promptness, honesty, ambition, faithfulness, and organizations. Many children should remember being in plays, square dancing, performing the Virginia reel, or making cookies. Her classes visited such places as a shirt factory, the Cooperstown Hall of Fame, a felt mill, Freihofer’s Bakery, Fort Crailo, Cherry Hill, and the Great Escape.

Betty became very active in the Altamont community while teaching there. It was a big year for her as she had married Patrick “Pat” Spadaro on Dec. 26, 1945, who had returned from World War II with nearly four years of his service in the European Theater. She became secretary of the Parent Teacher Association at Altamont Elementary.

When her husband became a Masonic member, Betty joined Helderberg Chapter 331 Order of the Eastern Star in 1951. Patrick and Betty represented the organizations as Patron and Matron in 1957. This led to her being selected to represent the Albany-Rensselaer-Schenectady District Order of the Eastern Star in 1975 as the district deputy. Betty was secretary of her chapter for 16 years.

She became president of the ladies’ auxiliary of the Altamont Fire Department, president of the Helderberg Post 977 American Legion Auxiliary, and a charter member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Boyd Hilton 7062 Auxiliary.

For over 60 years, she has promoted the Altamont Fair and served as president for two years. Just before retiring, Betty and Bobbie Northrup organized the Great Apple Festival with all churches, clubs, and organizations involved and included a parade, contests, dances, and dinner.

In 1977, Pat and Betty built a cottage on the shore of Glen Lake with plans to spend vacations and summers there. Quickly it became their main residence. Both immediately became involved with the Queensbury Senior Citizens. She was the secretary for many years and president for two years. In 1997, Betty was honored to receive the New York State Legislature Achievement Award representing Warren County. Pat and Betty participated in many activities with the Queensbury Senior Citizens: trips, crafts, poetry, books, and cards. She chaired the annual bazaar for many years and directed the play “Bessie.”  Betty initiated the Queensbury Senior Citizens basket parties.

Both joined Glen Star 95 Order of the Eastern Star, and the Warren-Washington District selected Betty to represent them as the district deputy in 1997. During her years with the Order of the Eastern Star, Betty held the offices of Associate Grand Warder (2001), Grand Representative of Wyoming, and Grand Representative of Virginia. She enjoyed her travels throughout the state and the states she represented.  Betty acquired many lasting friends. She also became a member of the Cyrene Temple 18 Daughters of the Nile.

From practically day one, their son, Dick, became very interested in “wheels.” Pat ran the concession stand at the Edinburg go-kart race track and Betty worked at the admission gate while Dick raced #15 until he graduated from high school. She later enjoyed attending sprint races and being in the pits when Dick raced #29 with the Outlaws or Empire Super Sprints.

Betty loved to travel and particularly enjoyed a safari experience in Kenya, walking along the Great Wall of China, the golden structures in Thailand, the Sydney Opera House in Australia, riding in the huge Ferris Wheel in Vienna, cruising the Panama Canal, and cruising the Caribbean. She visited many historical sites in the United States as well as traveling to England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland.

Bridge, pinochle, books, poetry, crossword puzzles, music, and drama interested Betty throughout her life. Above all, Betty loved to entertain. Perhaps her greatest pleasure in her later years was being out on Glen Lake in the pontoon boat with her son, observing the Adirondacks, the osprey nests, and the blue sky with beautiful cumulus clouds.

 

 

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 Betty Allen Spadaro is survived by her cousins: Ernest Horton of Schenectady; Edward Horton of Amsterdam; Patricia Spadaro of Herkimer; Frank Spadaro of Malta; and Linda Miller of Menands.

She is also survived by her nieces Susie Arnold of Wisconsin and Terri McCoy of Albany. “Thanks to Frank and Susan Spadaro who have been there for Betty constantly since her son became ill,” her family wrote.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 13, in the chapel of the Memory Gardens Cemetery at 983 Watervliet-Shaker Road in Albany, which will be followed by a committal service in the family plot where Mrs. Spadaro will be buried next to her husband and son. Mrs. Ruth Howe will officiate at the services.

Please feel free to bring a folding chair with you as they are limited at the cemetery.

See the news obituary for Mrs. Spadaro.

Memorial contributions may be made to Queensbury Senior Citizens Inc., 742 Bay Road, Queensbury NY 12804; to The Altamont Fair, Post Office Box 506, Altamont, NY 12009; or to the Altamont Free Library, 179 Main St., Altamont, NY 12009.

 

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