Elizabeth Hutchinson Foote Osborn, a lifelong Hebron resident, passed away September 13, 2005 after a valiant battle against pancreatic cancer. She was 55 years old.

Betsy was passionate about her children, her grandchildren, Hebron’s open space, and farmland preservation. She loved the land, and she could walk for hours with friends, enjoying the beauty of nature. “Do you see that plant over there? Eat the center buds; they’re delicious. My mother taught me that. I have so much more to teach you….” We all learned much from Betsy; there was so much more we could have learned had her life not been cut short.

At the September 24th memorial service, Betsy’s daughter, Sarah Bronzi Melzen, offered a fitting tribute: "I am especially glad as a female that I had Mom as a role model. She was the perfect blending of sugar and spice and everything nice. She was feminine to the core and loved fashion and jewelry. She was adventurous and feared nothing. She had a passion for nature. She was fiercely independent. Most importantly, she was warm, nurturing, and loving to all who met her."

Betsy also leaves behind three sons, Hutchinson, Jonathan, and Daniel Bronzi. She was the adoring “Mimi” of seven grandchildren, Catherine, Walker, Hutchinson, Emily, Heather, Chase, and Madelaine.

Mary Ann Foote, Betsy’s sister, remembered her as “a wonderful person, vital, alive, fast, decisive, loving, caring, and generous to a fault… Her love, teachings, and enthusiasm will never be lost from memory as all of her has become a part of us.” Betsy also leaves two brothers, John and Edward Foote.

Her husband, H.C. Osborn, said it best: “Some people during tragic times wonder WHY? The answer is not wondering why, but understanding what we have learned … God wants us to continue with our lives with the knowledge and understanding gained through our association with gentle souls like Betsy. It is not why but HOW we will continue in our own lives once shown such inspiration.”