THERESA, NY —Â Betty Miles Aiken Strough, 90, formerly of Theresa, NY, died on Monday, April 18, 2022, with her daughter by her side, at Samaritan Keep Home, Watertown, NY.
Born Jan. 13, 1932, in Minetto, NY to Douglas Homer and Ilah Card Miles, she attended Theresa schools, graduating in 1949.
Betty moved to Kissimmee, Florida and was a clerk of Small Claims Court in Osceola County.
She married Stanley Aiken of Theresa on Oct. 19, 1952, upon his return from Korea. The couple returned to Theresa in the summer of 1953. Stanley died on July 20, 1977.
Betty was a representative for Avon for 18 years in the villages of Theresa, Redwood, and Plessis. She worked as Theresa Village Clerk for seven years before taking a position as Executive Secretary of the Municipal Electric Utilities Association in Albany and later moved to Syracuse, a position she held for 16 years until retirement when she married Frederick Strough and moved to Gouverneur, NY. Frederick died on Oct. 2, 2008.
Betty returned to Florida in 2010. This time she moved with a childhood friend, Jim Kessler, whom she traveled the world with until 2018, when their years caught up with them. Betty moved home to Gouverneur with family until moving to Samaritan Keep in 2020.
Her parents, two husbands, four sisters, Hazel Miles, Judy Decker, Thelma Dodge, and Wilma George, all passed away previously.
She is survived by her youngest sister, Janette Thune, Cape Vincent, NY; a son, Terry (Karen) Aiken of Shaftsbury, Vermont; a daughter, Micki (Edward) Allyn of Gouverneur, NY; six grandchildren, Christopher (Deb) Aiken, Jess Aiken, Sarah (Andy) Hunt, Arliss Reed, Rachel Reed, and Shane (Allison) Aiken; six great-grandchildren, Micaela, Maddy, Emerson, Elzy, Sadie, and Callie.
Life was not easy for Betty, yet through it all, there was not a single mean bone in her body. She was genuinely kind. If you had the pleasure of knowing Betty, you loved her. She had a way about her that just put you at ease and made you feel loved. Later in life, she was everyone’s grandmother. You could always find her puttering around the house, keeping herself busy with projects, and always up for making you a perfect lunch. She loved to sit in her chair and read and do her word searches with her kitty, Baby. She faithfully used to read the newspaper when it was an actual paper and always had a cup of coffee waiting for you. She will be deeply missed.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to Samaritan Keep Home Activities Fund, 133 Pratt Street, Watertown, NY or to your local library. The family would like to say thank you to the nursing staff at SKH, especially the 4th Floor Staff. Thank you for what you do.
Memorial Services will be 2 p.n. Saturday, May 14, 2022, at the Theresa Presbyterian Church with Rachel Reed, presiding. Following services, family and friends will gather at the Happy Daze Hideaway, 113 Commercial St., Theresa, NY.
Arrangements are with Frederick Bros. Funeral Home, Theresa, NY.
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