WATERVILLE – Betty J. Edwards, of Fairfield, passed away quietly on Wednesday, May 2, at MaineGeneral Medical Center – Thayer Campus in Waterville, surrounded by her loving family.

She was born Betty Jane Gerlach, on Dec. 29, 1926, in Detroit, Mich., the second of four children born to Mike and Della (Anderson) Gerlach. She spent part of her childhood in the city of Chicago. The family then moved to Downers Grove, Ill., where she graduated from Downers Grove High School in 1944.

She married the love of her life, Thomas F. Edwards on Feb. 14, 1948. She and Tom had two children, Jeffrey, born in 1949, and Linda, born in 1951. The family relocated from Illinois to the state of Maine in 1960, residing in Cape Elizabeth.

She was a successful businessperson in the Portland area, where she eventually became administrator of Devonshire Manor, a long-term care facility. She and Tom moved to a farm on Megquier Hill in West Poland, in 1972, where they gardened and raised registered polled Hereford cattle, while continuing their busy work lives in Portland.

During their years in Poland, she and Tom were active members of the Excelsior Grange, where she once served in the post of chaplain. In their retirement, she and Tom relocated again, this time to a farm in Fairfield, in 1987.

Here they bred and raised champion English Shire horses. Throughout her life, she was active in the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod. She and Tom were charter members of the Redeemer Lutheran Church in Cape Elizabeth, and are currently members of the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, in Waterville, where they are blessed to have made many wonderful friends.

She spent the last two years of her life coping with chronic illness, but she remained mentally active, and was a crossword puzzle whiz. She also enjoyed outings with the family, for coffee, donuts and especially ice cream.

She is survived by her husband, Thomas, of Fairfield; her two children, Jeffrey T. Edwards of Cape Elizabeth and Linda E. Edwards of Fairfield; her sisters, Constance Groves of Evergreen, Colo. and Mary Hermansen of Missouri; grandchildren, James Edwards of Portland, Christina Edwards of New York City and Alexander Nimon, serving in the U.S. Marine Corps in Hawaii.

She was predeceased by both parents; as well as her beloved baby brother, Ronald J. Gerlach, whom she fondly called “Bud.”

The family wishes to thank the physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and others who cared for Betty at MGMC – Thayer Campus, as well as the staff at Oak Grove Living and Rehabilitation Center, where she had a brief stay.