Betty M. Karolchik

Born on Mar. 27, 1928, in La Jose, Pa, Betty was one of 15 children of Lawrence and Edna Scott. While working as a waitress in Indiana, Pa, in the 1940s, Betty met Michael (Mike) Karolchik, who was a student at the local college. Betty and Mike were married in 1950 and moved to Ebensburg, Pa, where they raised a family of three children: Donna, Michael and Joseph. They enjoyed camping and travelled the United States with a trailer and, later, a motor home. After Mike's retirement, the couple spent winter months at Southern Palms in Eustis, Fl.

In 2002 Betty and Mike moved to a new home near their son in Mount Airy, Md, where they spent many happy years with friends and neighbors. After Mike's passing in 2013, Betty continued to live in Mount Airy until 2022, when she moved to Santa Cruz, Ca, to be closer to her daughter. She lived there until her passing.

Throughout her life, Betty enjoyed singing and dancing, especially ballroom and line dancing with Mike. She was a skilled seamstress and was talented at a wide variety of arts and crafts, many of which reflected her love of clowns. Betty was a devout Catholic who regularly attended Mass and church functions at Holy Name Church in Ebensburg and St. Michael's Church in Mt. Airy. She actively volunteered for the Red Cross and belonged to several social organizations, including the Red Hat Society, the 55+ Club, Top of the Hill and many other groups at the Mt. Airy Senior Center. Betty was an enthusiastic participant in the Sunshine Villa activities program and an avid player and teacher of the game Rummikub, still winning many of her games at age 95!

Betty is preceded in death by her husband, Mike, and is survived by three children (Donna, Michael and Joseph), two grandchildren (Michael and Zachary), two sisters (Margaret and Marian) and one brother (Jim). Her ashes will be interred with Mike’s at Garrison Forest Veterans' Cemetery in Owings Mills, Maryland. We would like to thank Hospice of Santa Cruz County and the staff of Maple House for their kind compassion and care.

"See ya later, alligator!"