Elizabeth “Betty” Dexter 1926 – 2020 BATH – Betty Dexter, longtime resident of Durham, died on July 29, 2020, one month after her 94th birthday. Betty moved to Maine from Bethesda, Md., after attending a Shelter Institute program in Bath in 1975. She then purchased property in Durham and with the help of her children and two carpenters, designed and built a Shelter Institute passive solar home. While a Durham resident, she helped establish a center in Auburn for domestically abused women and was an administrative assistant at Durham Elementary School. Betty was born in St. Louis, Mo., on June 21, 1926. While married to a state department official, she lived in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Switzerland, Singapore, and Bethesda, Md. She also lived in Cambridge, Mass., for 15 years, where she worked at MIT. Betty lived a creative and adventurous life and was intellectually curious. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from American University at the age of 45, followed by a master’s degree in Family Counseling. She enjoyed traveling, reading, gardening, painting, sculpture, spending time with her friends, and was politically active, particularly in the women’s movement. Betty will be remembered by her children, Susan Dexter (Belfast), Emily Dexter and Armond Cohen (Cambridge, Mass.), Catherine Dexter (Barcelona, Spain), and Robin Dexter (Belmont, Calif.). Her second daughter, Martha Dexter, passed away in 1986. Betty will also be remembered by her three granddaughters, Amy Karadbil (Kensington, Md.), Eliza Cohen (Providence, R.I.) and Leah Cohen (Cambridge, Mass.). Due to COVID-19, memorial services will be held in the future.

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