Ann Elizabeth Dawson Moore, 85, of Wilmington, DE, passed away peacefully on Sunday, February 9, 2025.
Betsy was born in 1939 in Baltimore, MD to Ann Fox and David H. Dawson. Because her father was a chemical engineer for the DuPont Company, her family moved several times while she was growing up. Her favorite childhood home was on Sycamore Lane in Wallingford, PA. In 1957, she graduated from the George School in Newtown Square, PA. During her time there, she played basketball, was president of the Girls’ Athletic Association and co-captain of the field hockey team, and was a noted “threat” on the lacrosse field. She attended Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in Ashland, VA, where she continued her leadership roles on Student Government, the Hall Presidents Council, and the Athletic Association. She was also a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority.
After graduating with a B.A. in History, Betsy spent a year working for Radio Free Europe in New York City. In 1963, she moved back to her family’s home in Chadds Ford, PA. It was during this time that she met Andrew G.T. Moore II, whom she married in 1965 and was a devoted wife to until his death in 2018. In 1974, Betsy and Drew purchased their home on Red Oak Road in Wilmington, where Betsy was a skilled homemaker and loving mother to their two girls. She was an accomplished cook who pooh-poohed shortcuts and mixes; She made every meal by hand. Her extensive culinary library included well worn copies of “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”, “The Joy of Cooking”, and “The New York Times Cookbook”. She enjoyed entertaining, and hosted many memorable dinner parties for friends, family, and Drew’s legal and Delaware Supreme Court colleagues. She possessed a talent for reading aloud, and was never too tired to read long chapters from the books of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Beverly Cleary, or her girls’ favorite 56-page Dr. Suess book (“Bartholomew and the Oobleck”).
Over the years, Betsy enjoyed spending time with friends in Wilmington and Chilmark, MA, swimming in the ocean, walks on the beach, canoeing on Squibnocket Pond, needlepointing pillows, reading – especially mysteries and candid, tell-all biographies – and tending to her large garden. She served on the boards of The Tatnall School, St. Michael’s School and Nursery, the Wilmington & Brandywine Cemetery, and volunteered many hours for Wilmington Garden Day, Forest Park Forever (St. Louis, MO), and the Hoover Presidential Library (West Branch, IA), to name a few.
She is preceded in death by her husband of 53 years, Drew, and her daughter, Cecily Elizabeth Moore. She is survived by her daughter Marianne Moore Viceconte, her son-in-law Chris, her beloved grandchildren Claire Elizabeth and Evan James, and her brothers David Bruce Dawson (Ginnie) of Shaker Heights, OH and Michael T. Dawson (Marie) of St. Louis, MO. She will be greatly missed by her five nieces and nephews. Her family would like to thank the staff, caregivers, and nurses of Rockland Place, Bayada Home Health Care, and Compassionate Care Hospice for their dedicated and loving care of Betsy over the years.
A private service will be held in the Spring. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to the Wilmington & Brandywine Cemetery, 701 Delaware Avenue, Wilmington, DE 19801.
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