Obituary of Betty Helen Waite

Zoom Link for Live Stream

Betty Helen Waite, 98 years old, of Burlington, MA, died peacefully on the morning of June 7th, 2024, surrounded by her family and dear friends.

Born on July 26th, 1925, Betty spent her childhood in Allston with her parents, Helen and William French, and her brother Billy, who was five years her senior. Living in an apartment on Kelton Street, she attended local schools, became a member of the Brookline Baptist Church, and graduated from Brighton High School in 1943.

After high school, Betty began working at the John Hancock Insurance Company in Boston. Her weekdays were busy with secretarial work, while her weekends were filled with trips to the beach in Falmouth with friends during the summers and skiing with the Old Colony Ski Club during the winters. It was at the ski club that she met her husband, Warren Waite.  They married on June 30th, 1950, and eventually moved from Watertown to Burlington, MA. They enjoyed many ski trips together, primarily in the mountains of New Hampshire before settling down to raise their two daughters, Janet and Betty Ann whom they passed down their love for skiing to.  Betty loved family life, taking every opportunity to be involved in the activities of her children as well as her grandchildren. She especially cherished her role as "Nana" to her three grandchildren, David and Andrea Lockhead and Jordan Waite. Betty became a Brownie leader, a Girl Scout leader, a swimming instructor, a lifeguard as well as a volunteer in the school library. Betty was an enthusiastic gardener, enjoying many long hours working in the yard and enjoying the results.  She loved time on the beaches of Cape Cod every summer with her family and friends as well as time sailing the Cape and the Islands as well as the waters off Ipswich. 

Betty generally had an enthusiasm for life and for the people she met along the way, never too busy to stop and talk, making friends everywhere.  Betty’s life was marked by her devotion to her family and her lifelong friends. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her. Betty is predeceased by her parents, Helen and William, Her older brother Billy, Her husband of 71 years, Warren.  She is survived by her daughters, Janet Waite of Billerica, MA and Betty Ann Lockhead and son in law James Lockhead of Weymouth, MA, her grandchildren, David Lockhead and his wife Kelsey Lockhead, Andrea Lockhead and Jordan Waite and her great grandson Ethan Eicher.

The wake and celebration of her life will be held at the Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn Street Burlington, MA on Friday June 14th with the wake from 1:00pm-2:00pm followed immediately by a funeral service at 2:00pm.