Bette Caddis

Vera Mona Betty Caddis, known to all as Bette Caddis, died of natural causes at her Stamford home on May 18th, 2021. Bette was born in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England on October 15th,1926 to William Dormer and Daisy Sharrard Dormer. On July 6th,1951 she married David Charles Caddis and a few years later moved to America, where she resided until her death. In 1983, she and David moved into the home they built together in Stamford, NY while he was teaching at State University College of Oneonta. Serving for many years as a librarian in the Stamford Village Library, Bette was a regular fixture in the village. Active in the community, she served in various roles in local organizations: SVIA, Mural, and Friends of Music. There she forged close and lasting relationships with others who shared her love of gardening, art and music. Her lasting influence in the village is evident in the flower barrels that she helped fill over the years and in the signs where drivers leaving Stamford see the message “Drive with Equanimity”, a phrase Bette used regularly to bid friends farewell and safe voyage and which SVIA decided was a fitting message for the village’s farewell sign. Bette never lost touch with her English roots and enjoyed an informal network with other British immigrant women in the region. Referred to as the “Brit Chicks”, they rotate hosting a monthly “tea” in their homes and Bette rarely missed these events Nor did she lose touch with the many friends she made in Oneonta. She attended or hosted a monthly dinner club of good friends that formed in the 1960s and continued for over fifty years. She was a dedicated lover of classical music and attended Catskill Symphony Orchestra concerts for decades Bette was predeceased by her parents, her husband, David Charles Caddis, and her sister, Joyce Wright. She is survived by her son, David William (Michelle) Caddis, her daughter, Janie (Bruce) Russell, her grandchildren Michael (April) Hampel, Christopher (Ashley) Hampel, Nicole Hampel, Jameson Russell, Mia Russell, Noah (Maria) Caddis and her great grandchildren Robert London, Matilda Caddis and Leo Caddis. She is also survived by beloved in-laws, nieces and nephews in America and overseas. A celebration of Bette’s life will be held at a future date to be announced. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to Catskill Symphony Orchestra, PO Box 14, Oneonta, NY 13820 or The Honest Brook Music Festival, Inc. PO Box 3092, Delhi, NY 13753. Please visit www.macarthurfh.com to share a condolence with Bette’s family.