88, died peacefully under home hospice care with her daughter Jennifer on Saturday, October 26 (& just 3 weeks after a fun family reunion).  She is now free from the confusion & anxiety that Alzheimer's caused her to suffer, especially the past 3 years. Born in 1931 to Gertrude & Charles Churchill in Berea, KY, Betsy graduated from Oberlin College in 1952 with a B.S. in biology & received an M.A. in counseling & guidance from the University of Kentucky in 1972.  She is survived by her daughters Karen (Jeff) Crossen, Jennifer Crossen, & Julie (Mark) Crossen, her grandson David (Ashley) Crossen, her great-grandsons Sawyer & Maddox Crossen, and many nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews, & one great, great-niece & one great, great-nephew. Betsy was preceded in death by her sisters Mitzi Curtis & Peggy Strong, her daughter Katie Crossen, & her daughter-in-law Joan Callahan.

Betsy moved with her young family to Lexington in June of 1960 & was a wonderfully loving & supportive mother to her 4 daughters.  She taught them by example to always work for the greater good, volunteering with the Lexington Philharmonic & the League of Women Voters.  She also helped start Lexington's first recycling center. She was a member of the Good Foods Co-Op from its very beginning & also served on its board.  Betsy was a civil rights activist & tireless servant of & fundraiser for the fledgling Unitarian Universalist Church of Lexington from its early days & original location to the large, vibrant church & community it is today.  She volunteered in every possible capacity over all the decades at church.

As a girl, Betsy worked in her family's Churchill Weavers business in Berea, KY.  When her children were in school, she involved herself in all their PTA's. She later taught science for 14 years at Winburn Junior High School.  Betsy opened her home to U.K. graduate students and Bosnian & Iraqi refugees, helping them get established in their new community, & also taught ESL classes.  She volunteered for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate), attending court proceedings & helping determine the best placement for at-risk children.

Betsy enjoyed preparing big holiday meals for family & friends, playing the piano & singing in the choir, & knitting countless beautiful blankets that were auctioned off as fundraisers for the Unitarian Universalist Church of Lexington.  She was a voracious reader & loved doing jigsaw puzzles & playing Scrabble & Bananagrams. Betsy also loved listening to National Public Radio & watching programs on PBS. She was quietly kind & generous to all & very much appreciated great senses of humor.

Betsy donated her brain to Alzheimer's research at U.K. after volunteering for decades in a U.K. Alzheimer's study.  She had a green burial on Jennifer's farm on October 27. A Celebration of Betsy's Life will be held on December 8 at 5 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Lexington.