Obituary of Betty C. Princehorn

Bertha ( Betty ) Princehorn; Rush, NY, also Ann Arbor, MI Bertha Cora Braun On Sunday, August 18, 2013 peacefully and in the company of her daughter and son Betty went to join with her Lord.. Predeceased by her most beloved and never forgotten husband, Paul ( 1986 ); sisters Louise and Fern and also by grandson Barrett Fradenburg, prematurely in 1993. She is survived by her daughter, Alyce (George) Fradenburg; son, Jim (Marilyn); grandchildren, Christopher (Kristine) Fradenburg, Sarah and Margaret Princehorn and Christine (Ryan) Allen; great-granddaughter, Lorna and step-grandchildren Rick and Alyssa; brother, Paul (Donna) Braun. Betty was the 3rd daughter ( b 01/14/1912 ) of Erwin C Braun and Bertha C. Vogel of Ann Arbor, MI. Betty was followed 12 years later with a brother Paul. Betty finished school in Ann Arbor then graduated from Eastern Michigan University, with a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics. She taught school for a number of years in a school established by Henry Ford in Pittsford, MI. and when Mr. Ford decided to close that, she moved on to the Pittsford Rural Agricultural School. As well as teaching English and "Home Economics" for several years, Betty was a trained dietician and was the advisor for the Class of '44. To this day she receives cards and letters from many of her students, some of them still addressed to "Miss Betty Braun." This was the accomplishment of which she was the proudest. In 1946 Betty was introduced to H. ( Henry ) Paul Princehorn of LeRoy, NY. and they were married a year later, at which time they moved to LeRoy. The introduction of Betty and Paul began a romance to be envied and which never ended. After living a few years in LeRoy, they moved to Rush, where they raised two children, Jim and Alyce ( sorry, no dates, who do you think is writing this? ). Anxious to help her town, Betty filled a vacant position as the director for the Rush Free Library from June of 1959 until the end of 1967. After a period of relaxation Betty returned to serve her town again, this time as the historian, from January of 1972 until July of 1974. Later Betty spent many hours on a committee dedicated to greeting newly arrived residents and presenting them with welcoming gifts which were donated by local merchants. Betty and Paul also devoted many years to the beautification of Rush through working on many Rush Garden Club projects. She spent uncountable hours weeding and planting in the town park and helped administer several projects in which dozens of crab apple trees were sold to raise funds to advance the goals of the garden club and pay for the town park improvements. The sudden death of her beloved Paul ( 1986 ) hit Betty hard and ended their carefully photographed trips in the "Minnie Winnie" to historic sites along the East Coast. Both Betty and Paul enjoyed those trips and loved to recount the details of the buildings and gardens that they viewed together. Even a few days before her demise, she colorfully described one of their trips to Colonial Williamsburg in such detail that the visit could have been in the prior week. Her remaining years were devoted to her grandchildren and working in the yard of the farmhouse that she and Paul restored. She was very proud of their home, and even more pleased that she was able to live alone in it ( with minor assistance from visiting helpers ) until she was almost 101 years old. She enjoyed mowing her own lawn ( 3+ acres ) and resisted assistance until she was 94, when her doctor told her to find an assistant. Like all grandmothers, she was overjoyed when her grandchildren came to visit and always complained that the visits were "too short and not often enough." Visitors who arrived after a visit from the grandchildren had to suffer though a detailed description of everything that transpired during the last visit and then listen to the laments that "they won't be back soon enough." Betty was always a veracious reader and regularly devoured books dutifully delivered by the current library staff and she took up crewel embroidery because she thought that she had to "keep active mentally." She also knitted many sweaters for an organization which distributed them in impoverished areas of Africa. Ever alert and sharp, and even in her final days, she could knock off the better part of a newspaper crossword puzzle. Betty left very detailed instructions for her final arrangements and emphasized many times that she wanted them to be followed, so they will. A memorial service will be held at St Mark's Lutheran Church in West Henrietta, NY. She often stated that that she wanted to be buried as close as possible to Paul, and as soon as possible after her passing, accordingly she has been interred in Rush at the Pine Hill Cemetery. Betty asked for the courtesy of no flowers, but expressions of sympathy may be made to the Rush Fire Department ( ambulance replacement fund ) 1971 Rush Mendon Road or to the Rush Public Library, 5977 E. Henrietta Road, Rush, NY 14543. Betty's family would like to extend a very grateful "thank you" to the great people at the Jewish Home of Rochester who cared for her since November, and to the excellent cadre of fantastic people on Unit 5 West of Highland Hospital for making her last days comfortable. The comforting actions and words from all of you will not be forgotten. Finally, a most sincere "thank you" is due to all of the students of Betty's for those cards and updates on them and their families. Every one of those messages, over the 60+ years since you were in Betty's classroom, lifted her spirits more than you can imagine.