Elisabeth B. Mueller

Elisabeth (Betty) Byrne Mueller died peacefully in Ithaca, New York on December 25, 2020 at the age of 102. Born in Vallejo, California on July 19, 1918, Betty was the baby of the family and was doted upon by her much older siblings and nearby aunts and uncles. Her parents, Boyd and Theresa Byrne had four children, Boyd (Marie), Eleanor Baldauf (Lawrence), Ruth Chickering (Robert) and Betty.

Betty graduated from the University of California @ Berkeley, spent some summers in Hawaii with her married sister and taught elementary school after graduation. She caught the eye of the love of her life, Bob, a Navy Officer, who remembered her green suede shoes when he would retell the story of their meeting. She met him at an officer’s dance. He wasted no time wooing the lovely young woman with the quick smile and infectious laugh. They soon married during wartime and were stationed in California. Kathryn Carey (Bob) and Paula Mueller (Philippe Salomon) were born while the couple made their home in California.

After the war, the couple journeyed east with their daughters to Ithaca, NY where their two sons, Robert Mueller, Jr. (Beth) and Dana Mueller (Anne Costello), were born. Betty raised her family sharing her love of music, as she and her husband both played the piano. Betty enjoyed golf and scored 2 holes-in-one at her beloved Ithaca Country Club. She loved to dance and kept fit with aerobics and paddle ball. She attended Cornell hockey and football games religiously, enjoyed the fireworks on 4th of July and was a patron of the Hangar Theatre for as long as she was able. Weekly, she finished the New York Times Sunday crossword and played duplicate bridge. In the summertime, the bridge club would sometimes eat lunch in the middle of the stream behind her home, complete with card tables and chairs in the water. She loved black licorice and was an avid reader. She also loved to watch all the birds that visited her birdfeeders. Her grandchildren, Dana O’Keefe (Lisa Ostberg) and Matthew Mueller were kept entertained by Grandma Betty with her tremendous energy and special connection to the two young men. In addition, Betty had two great grandchildren, Viola Ostberg and Julian O’Keefe Ostberg.

Betty was a staunch supporter of the underdog, a firm believer in woman’s rights and instilled in her children a strong sense of social responsibility and compassion. She spoke her mind and encouraged her children to follow suit. Betty volunteered for many years at Friends In-Service Helping (FISH), driving people in need to doctors’ appointments, as well as assisting in the library.

When the children moved out, Betty and Bob traveled extensively to many places, including Russia, Peru, the Galapagos Islands and all across Europe. Betty enjoyed spending her active golden years with her devoted husband. In the last decade, Betty remained in her home with the most dedicated group of caregivers, who became family to her. She is at peace and with her love, Bob.

Due to the wonderful people at the Department of Health and Hospicare during these difficult times, Betty received extraordinary care. Donations in her memory can be made to the Hangar Theatre (https://hangartheatre.org/), Tompkins County FISH (http://fishoftc.org/) or the charity of your choice.