Contributions to the tribute of Elizabeth M. Feeley

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Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery

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Wrightstown, New Jersey, United States

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Carol Creekmore posted a condolence

Monday, September 13, 2021

My heart felt condolences to the dear family of Betty Feeley. She was a wonderful person, loved by all and was such a sweet woman. She always had a smile when she came into the Office of Enrollment Services and we often thought about her after she retired. We missed her daily visits to our office to resolve a student problem and will be remembered by all. Carol Creekmore

Mark Sapara Posted Oct 5, 2021 at 7:01 PM

This is exactly how we all remember her, Carol. She was made from a mold that few contemporaries can replicate. And she taught me everything I know.

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Peter Falley uploaded photo(s)

Sunday, August 15, 2021

The first time I met Betty was when we served on a curriculum committee together after I had just arrived at Fairleigh Dickinson University as a new faculty member. I guess we recognized each other as kindred spirits and we quickly became good friends. That was more than 50 years ago, and Betty was a steadying influence in my professional and even personal life ever since. When I was appointed Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, Betty served as Assistant Dean. Her primary role was working with students. She had an amazing ability to empathize with students and to help them work through whatever difficulties they encountered. And her long experience enabled her to cut through any bureaucratic obstacles that lay in her way. More important perhaps was her level-headed good sense which she used to advise not only students but anyone else who would listen. I was so often the beneficiary of that kind of advice. There was one subject on which she seemed less than sensible and that was the question of wearing a coat. She would go out without a coat even in the most inclement weather. When we told her that she would surely catch her death, she would just wave us off and keep on going. And she must have known what she was doing, since she never caught that pneumonia we warned her about and lived to the ripe old age of 94. I last spoke to Betty about ten days before her death. She was her usual upbeat self and full of pride of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and she was ready to watch a Mets game. Betty was a remarkable woman. My heart goes out to her family who must feel her loss even more deeply than I do. Peter Falley Silver City, NM

Mark Sapara Posted Aug 16, 2021 at 8:37 AM

Peter, it's so good to see a message from you! And your comment about Betty and the [lack of] coat is spot-on! I had forgotten about that one until I read your post! On the coldest days, she would walk out to her car sans coat, then speed away at 90 miles per hour! Betty cherished the friendship she had with you and Pat. When I became "her" Assistant Dean, she spoke often about you and that friendship. Hoping you are well and thanking you for these memories, too.

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Mark Sapara uploaded photo(s)

Monday, August 9, 2021

I will avoid the tendency to write a book about my adoration, love, respect and true "awe" that I feel for Betty. As the best mentor I ever had during my career at FDU, as I served as the Assistant Dean in the College where she was Associate Dean, Betty reminded me that we always work to help students in need while maintaining the value and integrity of an FDU degree. I lived by that credo then and through all the years since. I was so fortunate to have had her for so many years as a professional colleague, but also a cherished friend. Although more than 40 years my senior, talking to Betty was like chatting with a much wiser (and funnier!) peer. She guided me through all facets of my life. She taught me how to resolve conflict and she held me to account, when needed. There are a ton of favorite Betty memories, but here are just a few: 1. She never drank bottled water. She would always say, "There's perfectly good tap water in that water fountain over there!" 2. I caught her digging through the garbage can in her office to find a piece of paper. When I called out her name, she looked up as if she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. I captured that one on film! (see attached pic) 3. Betty loved sweets. Sometimes we would bring each other something sweet to eat. And I would always wait until she put it fully into her mouth before I would crack a good joke--as I loved watching her spit it out with hysterical laughter! 4. Attending her induction dinner into the D3 Hall of Fame, I remember the beautiful pictorial montage of her life that Claudia and Colleen had put together. Betty's speech that night was pitch perfect! 5. At College faculty meetings, in the most heated and contentious debates, Betty would stand up and in two or three sentences quell all the tensions and redirect the conversation without a peep heard in the audience. 6. After she retired, we went out on a "dinner date" to her favorite restaurant in Denville. She insisted that I order the BIGGEST prime rib on the menu. And of course, we made room for dessert! Beautiful night. 7. Finally, when my dad was going through cancer, all while I was breaking up with my life partner, Betty brought me into her office and put her arms around me while I cried like a baby into them. I'll never forget that tenderness. Yes, Betty Feeley spent 94 impactful years on this earth. But her legacy will be felt for many, many more decades to come. Loving her then, now, and always... Mark Sapara (former colleague and forever friend)

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Elizabeth M. Feeley

1927 - 2021

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