VOORHEESVILLE — Elizabeth E. “Betsy” Bates, an upbeat person who never complained, died on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. She was 76.

She was born in 1941 to Laurence P. Ellis and Martha Hinman Ellis. An alumna of The Albany Academy for Girls, she attended Keuka College, after which she met Milton Bates at the Punkintown Fair in New Salem. That meeting was the start of a 57-year romance and a 56-year marriage.

Mrs. Bates worked for The National Savings Bank and the Voorheesville Elementary School. She and her husband raised three children in Voorheesville, spending each summer at her favorite place on Warners Lake.

“Although she was plagued by several illnesses, Betsy never complained or lost her sense of humor,” her family wrote in a tribute. “She was usually the most upbeat person in the room and often showed her intelligence by a quiet remark or quick witticism. She liked a cocktail before dinner, her golf cart, a good joke, card club and cards in general, but her love of family was most important of all.”

She is survived by her husband, Milton Bates, and her three children: Michael Bates and his wife, Eileen, Margaret Mott, and Matthew Bates and his wife, Amy; by her six grandchildren: Rachel, Heather, Jessica, Ashley, Sierra, and Noah; by her three great-grandchildren: Riley, John, and Brinley; by her sister, Susan Rockmore; and by many nieces, nephews, and friends.

Her sister Judy Pulliam died before her.

“Thank you for the kindness of the nurses, staff, and doctors at St. Peter’s Hospital and to all the doctors who treated Betsy over the years, especially Dr. Michael Garner,” her family wrote.

Services will be held privately at the convenience of the family.