Bette Davies

Bette Davies, a longtime resident of Oxford, died peacefully on January 6 at home.

She had lived in the home for over 70 years with her much loved husband, Ted, who passed away in 2017. Bette always proclaimed, “I want to be carried out of this house when I die,”. Her daughter, Thedia, son in law, PJ Bednarski and grandson Rhys Davies Gaetano were at her side. Bette celebrated her 96th birthday just before Christmas by enjoying a nice slice of chocolate cake.

Bette is survived by her daughter, Thedia, PJ, Rhys, granddaughter, Ohara Davies Gaetano, grandson in law, Matt Williams, great grandson Teddy Williams and ex son in law, Nicholas Gaetano. Bette’s son, Jeff predeceased her. She is also survived by the nieces and nephews of her brothers, Dewey, Bill, and Bob Phillips as well as nieces and nephews from Ted’s side of the family.

Bette and Ted had a very long and loving relationship from their early teenage years. At the age of 14 they were watching a movie together in Sidney NY when the news of Pearl Harbor upended their world. They were separated for a few years after that as Ted enlisted as soon as he was old enough. Once he returned to Sidney, they made plans to marry and moved to Oxford.

Moving to their home Bette discovered her enthusiasm for wallpapering (with the help of Ted’s sister, Betty Carkuff), refinishing old furniture, gardening, canning, picking and freezing fruit and berries. As the years passed Bette and Ted found their love for innumerable generations of German Shepherds and many cats.

Ted and Bette began to travel later in life, vacationing in Sarasota Fl, the Caribbean, Italy, Egypt, Mexico, Guatemala, California, and Alaska. Many of these trips were accompanied by their children and grandchildren. These holidays with their grandparents will always be remembered with much love by the family.

Bette and Ted will have their ashes mixed together and will be inurned at the Warn-Tenbroeck Cemetery in the spring.

There will be no public viewing or church service. In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to Hospice & Palliative Care of Chenango County. We want to offer our deepest thanks to their entire team and to the invaluable volunteers. Thanks also to the Behe Funeral Home for their kind and compassionate assistance during our time of loss.