Elizabeth Jane (Bette) Tallman Loomis

Elizabeth J. (Bette) Loomis (nee Tallman) died Thursday, August 21, 2014, in Brothers of Mercy Skilled Nursing Center, Clarence, NY, where she had been in care for Alzheimer’s disease the past three years.

She was born October 25, 1920, in Seneca Falls, NY, to Gerald and Louise Tallman. A 1938 graduate of Mynderse Academy, she attended the New York School of Applied Design, now the Pratt-Phoenix School of Design, in New York City. While living there, she met her future husband, Norman R. Loomis, of Mexico, NY. They married in Seneca Falls in April 1942 and lived in Arkansas during his training in the Army Air Forces; she returned to Seneca Falls while he was stationed in Europe during World War II.

Bette operated The Book Store on Falls Street in Seneca Falls, during 1950s and early ’60s. She later worked in customer service for H.W. Knight & Son, which was purchased by Matthews Inc., and retired in 1985 after more than 25 years in that business. She and her family were active members of Red Jacket Yacht Club from the late 1940s until the 1980s.

Bette was an avid reader, regular customer of the Seneca Falls Library, and enjoyed tackling The New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle. She was a very caring person, volunteering at the VA Hospital in Canandaigua, NY, taking in rescue animals, sending aid to South American foster children, and supporting the causes of the Southern Poverty Law Center. She had a very special relationship with her grandchildren.

Bette is survived by her son, Peter (Cindy), of Buffalo; daughter, Megg Cook, of Clarence; three grandchildren, Geoff Loomis of Dallas, TX, Cathie (Jerry) Loomis MacNeil of Dexter, NY, and Josh (Stella Gilgur) Cook of Queens, NY; three great-grandchildren, Keara and Gillian MacNeil and Dorothea Cook; and nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband (1919-1980).

Services were private. Bette asked that donations in her memory be made to the Southern Poverty Law Center, 400 Washington Ave., Montgomery, AL 36104 or https://donate.splcenter.org.