Obituary of Betty Jean Steele

Waterloo – Betty J. Bird Steele, 70, 13 S. Walnut St., passed away Monday (March 11, 2019) at Rochester General Hospital. There will be no calling hours. A graveside service will be 11 a.m. Friday (April 26) in Oaklawn Cemetery, Phelps, NY. Rev. Lynn Spence, former pastor of Clifton Springs United Methodist Church, will officiate. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Pathway Home, P. O. Box 516, Seneca Falls, NY, 13148. Betty was born Dec. 11, 1948, in Clifton Springs, NY, the daughter of Harold J. and Doris A. Schantz Bird. She was a lifelong resident of the Finger Lakes area. Betty graduated from Clifton Springs High School in 1966. She graduated, in 1967, from the Geneva School of Nursing. She was employed as an LPN at Geneva General Hospital. While working at Geneva General Hospital, she earned her Registered Nursing Degree from FLCC, in 1989. She continued to work at Geneva General Hospital as an RN, until she transferred to Clifton Springs Hospital and Clinic, retiring after 23 years at Clifton Springs. She was a member of the Clifton Springs United Methodist Church. She is survived by her husband of 47 years, William L. Steele; daughter, Sandy Steele of Waterloo, NY; son, Andrew W. Steele of Waterloo, NY; grandchildren, Miranda, Shelby, and Samuel Lavalette all of Waterloo, NY; sister-in-law, Kathy Bird of Yates Center, Kansas; brother-in-law, Richard (Sally) Steele of Valley View, TX; cousins; and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents; brothers, Robert, John, Edward, William, and James "Dick" Bird; and sisters, Barbara Gray, Hildreth Roll, and Mary Bolich. Condolences for the family may be sent to www.coegenungfuneralhome.com.