Plan for the Future
Elizabeth Ewald Opie (Betty), 91, of Maplewood, formerly of Summit, passed away peacefully on February 7, 2016. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of William G. and Marie H. Ewald. She grew up in Maplewood and South Orange.
In her sophomore year at Skidmore College, she met Alden (Al) Opie who was finishing his degree at Union College. They married in 1946, settling in Short Hills, New Jersey. In 1956 Al’s job with the Bell System took them to Atlanta, Georgia. In 1962 the family moved again, this time to New Orleans, Louisiana. AT&T transferred Al back to the New York area in 1966. Along the way they had two children, Susan (1950) and David (1953).
Betty majored in Nutrition at Skidmore. Her interest in gourmet cooking grew from there. She loved to entertain and her recipe collection was legendary.
Loving the arts and always looking to learn something new, Betty was a member of the New Jersey Center for Visual Arts, Summit College Club, the Fortnightly Club, the P.E.O. Sisterhood, and Questers. Her interest in the Decorative Arts led her to collect Chinese export porcelain.
She loved to travel and at 87 crossed the Atlantic on the Queen Mary.
Nearer to home she enjoyed many of Great Outings’ trips to area art museums, historic sites, concerts, plays, and restaurants.
Betty’s family was very important to her. Her 3 grandchildren, Jessica Kostelnik (Dave), Abigail Perry (James) and Sam Owen (Elizabeth) provided her with great happiness. And their children, Sam, Easton, Nate, Wiley and Rosie were an unending delight. Additionally, Betty is survived by 3 nieces, 2 nephews, 3 grandnieces, and 8 grandnephews.
A Memorial Service will be held at Central Presbyterian Church, 70 Maple St., Summit, New Jersey on March 12 at 2:00. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Overlook Foundation for Neuroscience Research, 36 Upper Overlook Road, P.O. Box 220, Summit, NJ 07902-0220 or the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, 34 Washington St., Suite 200, Wellesley Hills, MA 02481.For further information, or to send the family a condolence, please visit, www.www.bradleyfuneralhomes.com.