Ms. Elizabeth Nelson

December 5, 1935 - January 18, 2021

Elizabeth “Betty” Frances Nelson, 85, a gifted teacher, died of cancer January 18, at Penn Hospice at Rittenhouse in Philadelphia. Betty spent her early youth in Drexel Hill where she attended Holy Child Academy.Her 6 th and 7th grade teacher there was Sister Gloria Coleman. “When I came to the school I was 21 and it was my first teaching assignment,” Sister Gloria said. Nun and student bonded and became lifelong friends. “Betty always said I inspired her to become a teacher.” After her father, George Nelson, an advertising executive, transferred to New Orleans, Betty attended Holy Name of Jesus School there from 8th grade through high school. She earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Detroit Mercy and a master’s degree in education from University of Pennsylvania. For two years she taught in Michigan before becoming a reading teacher in 1962, at newly opened, E.T. Richardson Middle School in Springfield, Pa. “She had all the attributes of a good teacher,” Sister Gloria said,“She was concerned with the whole child, not just the intellect, and made it a point to know each child’s background.” Many of Betty’s students kept in touch. She retired in 1991 to care for her widowed mother, Kathryn, who died in 1993. Betty was devoted to her Catholic faith and attended daily Mass at St. Francis Xavier Church the Oratory in Fairmount. For 30 years she volunteered in the Oratory’s office until becoming ill last year. She was a loving “Aunt Bee” to nephews Sean and Joseph Nelson and their families. Betty attended concerts and dined out with friends in Philadelphia and cherished vacations in Ocean City, N.J. with her nephews and their children. She enjoyed taking family and friends to her favorite seafood restaurants and to boardwalk shops. In addition to her nephews, she is survived by great-nieces , Jillian and Alexa, and great nephews, Collin and Zach. She is predeceased by brother, John. ​A Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 22 at St. Francis Xavier Church the Oratory, 2319 Green Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19130. Friends may call at the church from 9:30 a.m. until 10:15 a.m. Burial will be in Holy Cross Cemetery, Yeadon. Donations may be made to the Oratory at address above. Arr. Dinan Funeral Home, Phila., PA. Condolences may also be sent to www.dinanfuneralhome.com