Betty Elise Caslake

Birth date: Sep 16, 1924 Death date: Sep 5, 2018

Betty E. Caslake, age 93 of Lewes, DE, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, September 5, 2018 at Beebe Healthcare, in Lewes. Mrs. Caslake was born in Melrose, MA, on September 16, 1924, daughter of the late Charles and Ada Dumond Read Obituary

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Jane Rinn

369w ago

Betty and Cas (Sydney) were friends of my parents Sam and Marilyn Rinn in Penn Hills and the friendship continued when they moved to Murreysville . The parties at the Hunter Lane house were epic! Fancy dinners where Cas taught me to swirl and sip wine correctly (sometimes his home grown dandelion wine) and huge summer picnics that at least once included a “road rally” that had me hanging on for dear life (no seat belts then) as my Father sped down country roads trying to win the scavenger hunt (with a beer and cigarette firmly in place). Later Betty wrote a letter to the ghost in the house who was bothering them and miraculously the haunting stopped.

Their stories of travel, art, good friends, and good food and drink inspired me to travel and experience life with all the passion and humor that they did. I feel like I have accomplished that larger than life life that they emulated. Cas loved to tell the story of Betty’s friend when they lived in Italy who spoke no English and she no Italian but nonetheless they met daily and talked. Betty’s response “we understood each other!”. And without Betty’s stories I might still be at that rest stop in France trying to figure out the “hole in the floor toilet”! And who else would fly her Italian Poodlle Blu Blu to the states because they didn’t believe in spay and neuter in Italy! Our mutual love of animals always gave us something to talk about.

When my parents divorced and my Mother moved to New Hampshire I continued to see Betty when she visited her Mother and again when I returned to visit my Father in Pittsburgh. After I moved back To Pittsburgh I had Christmas dinner with them most years. The house and food were always gorgeous, the people intelligent and worldly, and the festivities included Betty’s various cats and guests dogs. Without the Caslake’s, those Christmas dinners could have been spent alone with my Father. I continued to visit on holidays until they moved full time to Lewes. But we always stayed in touch.

In 2002 I moved to New Jersey and was within driving distance to Lewes and started to visit again. Trips to see them on the Cape May ferry, Betty driving like a maniac and scaring bicyclists, and meeting the latest cat are all great memories. Not many people can make you belly laugh, discuss art, politics, Investments, and the “deplorable way
people dress now” into their 90s but Betty was one of a kind and sharp as a tack.

I spoke to Betty a week before she passed and made plans to visit bring my dog to meet her around her upcoming birthday. I am sorry that didn’t happen but am sure that she and Sydney are having a cocktail and verbally sparring now. And laughing-always laughing. And I’m sure that she is at peace.

I thank them both for a lifetime of friendship and surrogate parenthood. For all of the wonderful meals and conversations. To Betty for setting an example of a strong, smart, opinionated woman who knew herself completely and made no apologies for it. I love you both and appreciate your very positive influence on my life,

Jane Rinn

David Gooch

369w ago

Aunt Betty and I go back to 1948. While visiting her at her last residence, The Moorings at Lewes, people would often ask her how long she had known me. She proudly responded “I used to change his diapers”. After my mother (Joan Gooch) passed away in 1999, Aunt Betty stepped up to her assigned role as godmother. She was now my primary advisor, and relished every moment of it. She would often rattle off 10 to 12 ways to improve my life, and then stop in mid-stream asking “You’re not going to do any of this, are you?” I would come back saying that I actually agreed with some her suggestions, and it went from there. She also would infer that I was a lousy housekeeper, which I would immediately take offense to. She also never failed to mention that my mother hadn’t been the best housekeeper either. She would then threaten to make surprise visits to Wakefield and Hampton to verify her claims. I would throw kerosene on the fire, by saying sometimes I dusted with a leaf blower. My mother and my aunt were the best of friends from the time they worked as bank tellers at the State Street Bank in Boston, during WW II. They met their future husbands (also best friends and shipmates) at a Halloween dance, and it went from there. As Aunt Betty traveled the world with Uncle Cas, she would send us gifts: Indian belts from Idaho, wooden shoes from Holland, and Jeu de Boules from France. She bought a house in Hampton, NH, in the early 60’s, moved her parents up here from Melrose, and had thoughts of retiring here herself, but Uncle Cas didn’t want to deal with our winters. She did love her view out the windows, at the Moorings at Lewes (Cadbury), saying she could view the best of the country (grass, trees, birds) and the city (mini vans, cars, people) at the same time. She has truly been an inspiration to us all: David, John, Christine, Michele, et all.

Christine Gooch

369w ago

I was so honored to have Betty as my Godmother. She and my mom were best friends growing up and they both met their husbands at the USO dance when Sydney and Stan's ship was in from England. We used to enjoy summers with them in Hampton and had lots of laughs and fun time. Betty was a spitfire and such a smart, savvy woman. As Michele notes above, she was a woman before her time. I remember visiting the house in Pittsburgh and sitting at a properly set table. Everything had its place and don't ever think about putting something on the table (like butter) unless it's in it's proper container! :) I enjoyed my visits to Lewes, although far too few of them. I'm sad to say the last time I saw Betty was four years ago, however, my brother David was able to visit annually on Mother's Day weekend. I thought of her often and we spoke by phone on holidays. As my Godmother, she had a big impact on me in many ways and was always so supportive of my career. I will miss her dearly. RIP Aunt Betty...may you and Uncle Cas and my parents be enjoying being reunited again...hopefully with one hell of a cocktail party! I love you.

Michele Wong

369w ago

Betty was a women born decades ahead of her time. She often said "Sydney made the money and I managed it." I grew up watching Betty who was the very definition of a strong female.When I was young she told me "I don't care if you clean houses for a living, just own the business" My first job was "pushing the vacuum" in her Hunter Lane home when I was 14 years old... I loved it! I'm not exaggerating when I say that art work covered almost every inch of the walls. Sydney was still working at Westinghouse at the time and he would walk through the house saying "we have too much bloody stuff!" but he loved it. Later in Delaware Betty would convince Sydney to put some artwork on the ceiling when they ran out of room on the walls at the Monroe street home.
Betty would mix valuable art work with works of little value. What mattered was that she liked the piece. I learned so much from Betty. When I was 25 we went wedding dress shopping in Pittsburgh and in Horne's I fell in love with a pale, pink, silk wedding gown that cost a fortune. Betty was having none of that! I purchased a a stunning lace gown in a warehouse Betty found in the Southside, with fluorescent lighting and chipped linoleum flooring! The dress was beautiful, and I saved a small fortune.
I never ate a meal in Betty's house without the table being properly set. This included breakfast. Betty had a strong sense of what was right. Betty had a tough outside but if you got to know her she had a heart of gold. Tonight I'll have a Manhattan (Betty's favorite drink) Sydney taught me how to make oh so many decades ago and have a good cry. I admit that in the last two years I did not call as often as i should. But Betty's last words to me a couple weeks ago were... "Don't weaken my girl". God speed Betty and Sydney,
Love, Michele

Jane Rinn

369w ago

Jane Rinn

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