Obituary: Betsy Epifano, 85

Information and photo via Shaughnessey Banks Funeral Home

Betsy Epifano, née Elizabeth Margaret Byrnes, passed away peacefully on Friday morning, November 9, 2018, at The Jewish Home for the Elderly, Bridgeport, Connecticut. She was born to James and Elizabeth Byrnes of Brooklyn, New York, on December 18, 1932. She always liked to share that she was born on the dining room table. As an adult, she really hated preparing and serving formal meals—go figure.

After graduation from Bay Ridge High School on June 26, 1950, Betsy attended Kings County Hospital School of Nursing, from which she graduated on June 11, 1953. Betsy became a nursing supervisor before she “retired” to family life, when she married Leonard Epifano. Their family grew to include three children and various pets, notably the family cat, Bentley, and, years later, the beloved dog, Scout. The family eventually settled in Rye, New York, where Betsy, when not busy renovating their 1856 stone Colonial, focused on doing volunteer work.

A devoted grandmother, Betsy spent much of her free time with her grandchildren. When not reading to them or playing games, she loved to take them out for dinner and ice cream, although not necessarily in that order.

Betsy will be greatly missed by her family: daughter, Andréa Epifano; son, Leonard, his wife, Linda, and their children, Brian and Laura, and Laura’s husband, Peter Leon; and, daughter, Elena, and her husband, Michael Byrne, and their daughters, Julia and Galen, as well as Galen’s fiancé, Sean Sullivan.

Friends are invited to attend a Memorial Service on Friday, November 16, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. at the Shaughnessey Banks Funeral Home, 50 Reef Road in Fairfield. In advance of the service, friends may visit with her family from 5:00-6:30 p.m. All will then be welcome to continue the celebration of Betsy’s life at a post-service dinner.

Interment is private. Donations may be made in her memory to The Jewish Home for the Elderly, 4200 Park Avenue, Bridgeport, Connecticut.

For more information and to leave online condolences, visit Shaughnessey Banks Funeral Home here.