BERGENFIELD — Elizabeth "Betty" Schmelz, 81, of Bergenfield, a long-time moving force behind the preservation of Bergenfield’s history, died March 16 at Bristol Manor Health Care Center in Rochelle Park.
She was born Jan. 25, 1927 in Hillside.
As a youngster, she was a drum majorette in the safety patrol band in Fairview and loved horseback riding, china painting, and lace making.
After she married, she moved to Bergenfield where she lived more for than 50 years, raising her family and becoming an important part of the community.
She attended Mass at the Church of the Ascension in New Milford, and was the president of the parish’s Rosary Society.
A lover of flowers, she was a talented gardener and, as a member of the Bergenfield Garden Club, won ribbons for her arrangements at its flower shows.
Mrs. Schmeltz was the driving force behind the Beautify Bergenfield Committee, spearheading its efforts to improve the appearance of property all around the borough.
She wrote on events in Bergenfield in a weekly newspaper column.
It was during her service as co-chairwoman of the Bergenfield Bicentennial Committee that she discovered a passion for state and local history.
She served as the president of the Bergenfield Museum Society from its establishment in 1976, and worked tirelessly to raise money to build a permanent home for its ever-growing collection.
Always an artistic person, she conceived and created numerous exhibits for the museum that introduced the residents of Bergenfield to their own history.
She published, "T.R. Cooper’s Chair Factory: Early Industry in Rural Schraalenburgh" in 1985 and "Houses of Worship in Bergenfield" in 1990, both of which accompanied exhibits put together by the Museum Society.
She was also a member of the Bergen County Historical Society and published, "Trees of Life: Selections from Bergen County Folk Art" in 1983, in recognition of Bergen County’s tricentennial.
For her efforts, Mrs. Schmeltz was honored as the Zonta Woman of the Year in 2001.
Then, Oct. 28, 2006 was declared Betty Schmelz Day in Bergenfield.
Her one piece of unfinished business was that the Bergenfield Museum Society has not yet reopened its doors at its new home at Cooper’s Pond.
She left that job to friends, neighbors, and colleagues in Bergenfield, the town she loved and adopted as her own.
Surviving are her sister, Katherine Nasuti of Deerfield, Mass.; her brother, Antone Nelsen of Jackson, N.J.; her brother, Richard Nelsen of Hackensack; her daughter, Joan of Lakeland, Tenn,; her son, Robert of Bergenfield; her son, John Scott of Shreveport, La.; and her granddaughters, Macy and Lola of Shreveport.
There was a funeral Liturgy at R.C. Church of the Ascension, New Milford, on Monday, March 24. Interment was St. Mary’s Cemetery, Whippany.
To send condolences or a lasting tribute to the family of Mrs. Schmelz, please sign the Online Guestbook at www.riewertsmemorialhome.com. Click "Sign Guestbook."
