Betsy Ann (Jones) Coffey

Betsy Ann (Jones) Coffey

Age 93, loving wife and devoted mother, passed away early Thursday morning, April 17, 2020. A longtime resident of Vandalia, OH and a graduate of Butler High School, she lived for five years in the cottages at Grace Brethren Senior Living in Englewood, OH. In July 2018, she moved to live with daughter and son-in-law Beth and Matthew Green at their home in Troy, OH.

Born in Columbus, OH, Betsy was the oldest of 7 children. After graduation from high school she worked for the local counsel of the Boy Scouts of America. In 1947 Betsy married Donald Coffey in the Murlin Heights Church in Dayton, OH with her sister Karen serving as her flower girl. In 1952 the couple (along with Betsy’s brothers) built one of the first homes in an early development in Vandalia. Betsy was passionate about family, nature and gardening. For a number of years she owned and operated The Happy Cricket, a flower shop in Vandalia and served for many years as a docent at the Aullwood Audubon Center. Her family of 5 girls was the centerpiece of her life, insisting that each daughter attend and graduate from college. Betsy and Don traveled extensively in Europe, including participating in a Sister City Program in Germany, and toured throughout the United States camping, hiking (climbing both Mount Washington and Mount Katahdin), and visiting daughters in California and Texas, and family in Maine.

Betsy leaves behind four daughters, Laurie (Gene Milford) Lafferty, Amy (Michael) Battoclette, Nancy (Phil Kliza) Coffey, Beth (Matthew) Green; her brothers Ed (Betty) Jones, David (Nadine) Jones, sister Karen (Jim) Sipos; eight grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband Donald Coffey, daughter Cynthia (Charlie) Roof, and brothers Alfred Jones, Robert Jones, and Phil Jones.

The family is planning a private memorial and burial.

In lieu of flowers, we invite you to send donations in Betsy’s name to Hospice of Miami County, PO Box 502, Troy, Ohio 45373 or online at: hospiceofmiamicounty.org or make a donation to Aullwood Audubon Center online at: aullwood.audubon.org