MARBLEHEAD - Artist, fisherman, cartographer, teacher, wife and mother, Betsy departed for another adventure on August 8, 2022. Through her years, she charted a journey as the daughter of USCG Captain Albert and Lois Martinson, loving spouse to USCG Commander David L. Davies, and mother to Lynne (Paul, Barbara), David (Jaffa), Robert (Barbara), Jeanne (Virgil) and Lauris (David).

Betsy was born April 21, 1925 in Palmer, Massachusetts. It was not to be a conventional, predictable, quiet and orderly life. She had many happy adventures with a zest for exploration, invention and people. She spent her youth as a Coast Guard daughter, attended Williams Memorial Institute near the U.S. Coast Guard Academy where she met cadet David L. Davies. They married prior to his being shipped out to the Pacific theater during World War II, and she quickly trained and worked as a cartographer at the Coast and Geodetic Survey, creating maps to lead successful WWII battle campaigns.

After the war, eager to be with David at all his USCG posting stations, she packed and bundled their growing family over fifteen years and twelve moves to six states and Newfoundland. She was supported by good friends and the local fishermen in Barnegat/Marblehead, Massachusetts while living there in 1955. To settle in her beloved Marblehead would become a lifelong dream. With their five children, they finally settled in 1960 into new teaching careers in Hadlyme, Connecticut where they renovated an historic stonemason's cottage into a family home. Their family expanded to her treasured grandchildren (Jonathan, Llewellyne, Benjamin, Ari, Robert, Natalie, Amy, Daniel, David, Jonas, Henry and Louise) and thirteen great grandchildren and for decades they hosted family holidays and weddings.

Betsy designed and painted marquees for the Goodspeed Opera House and enjoyed ten years as a kindergarten teacher assistant for the East Haddam Elementary School. With all the kids out of the house and retired from teaching, she enrolled at the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts where she excelled in portrait, landscape painting and sculpture under the instruction of Aaron Shikler, David LeFell, Dean Keller, Lou Bonamarte and Elisbeth Gordon Chandler. She exhibited in numerous juried exhibits and taught oil painting over 30 years. She and David continued to travel throughout the U.S. and Europe with family and close friends. For over 40 summers, Betsy and David lived at their rustic island camp off the Marblehead coast where she was renowned for her weekly bountiful catch of particularly large striped bass and flounder.

Betsy and David finally found their dream life in Marblehead their final fifteen years, where she leaves behind many wonderful friends including her genealogical cousin and longtime friend Isa Smith and her children, Steve, Deb and Cliff; her Island friends; and many kind Marblehead neighbors, caregivers and staff at Council on Aging. Betsy is predeceased by her beloved husband David, her brother Albert (Marty) Martinson and sister-in-law Sophie and is survived also by her cousin, Alola Morrison and her nephew and niece, Chris Martinson and Jenny Nelson.

Life reflections over the last year from Betsy to all would listen: "It's an amazing life. What a marvelous universe. I'm so grateful. Family and friends are so important. Don't worry about material things. Take care to have a good life and have fun. Make good memories."

Betsy and her family are so grateful for the compassionate and skilled team at Neighbor Good Care who provided care, laughter, and loving friendships to Betsy and her family over the last year.

ARRANGEMENTS: Betsy's services will be privately held. Assisting the family with the arrangements is O'Donnell Cremations – Funerals – Celebrations, 84 Washington Sq., (at Salem Common) SALEM. In lieu of flowers, donations to Neighbor Good Care, a unique and compassionate care nonprofit, would be appreciated. Neighbor Good Care, 30 Crestwood Rd, Marblehead, MA 01945. https://neighborgoodcare.org/. To share a memory or offer a condolence, please visit www.odonnellfuneralservice.com.

Neighbor Good Care
30 Crestwood Road, Marblehead MA 01945
Web: https://neighborgoodcare.org/