Mrs. Putnam (Betty) Davis, ex-MFH of the Rombout Hunt and the Stone Valley Hunt (NY) for over thirty years, passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 2, 2013. She was ninety years old. A passionate foxhunter, she also served on the MFHA Board of Directors for her district.
Betty was raised in New York City, spending her childhood summers in Lake Placid. She graduated Vassar College in 1945.
She married Putnam Davis in 1968, the same year she became MFH of the Rombout Hunt. Betty owned and operated Talisman Farm in Clinton, NY, where her husband served for a time as Town Magistrate.
She was an avid skier, favoring Aspen and Vail, Colorado, and traveled widely with film maker John Jay’s Ski Films.
Betty rode both English and Western. She spent many years visiting the E/L Ranch in Greenough, Montana and the Elkhorn Ranch in Tucson, Arizona. She was former president of the Stone Valley Trail Riding Association, and she continued to ride until just three weeks before her death.
Per Betty’s wishes she requested the following statement be issued: Betty is survived by her dear friend Norma Dolan and many valued and loved extended family members and innumerable very dedicated and close friends.
Betty was predeceased by her dear lifelong friend, Betty “Brown Betty” DuPont of Missoula, Montana. There will be no calling hours. In keeping with her wishes, cremation has taken place.
A memorial celebration of Betty’s life will take place at a future date. Her ashes will be interred alongside her husband in the family plot in Pleasant Plains Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, Elizabeth C. Davis Memorial Fund, 80 Washington Street, Suite 201, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601. The funds for the Community Foundation will be used for activities and projects that Betty supported for the benefit of the Town of Clinton.
Arrangements are under the direction of Sweet’s Funeral Home, Inc., Rte. 9, Hyde Park.
Posted June 5, 2013
http://www.sweetsfuneralhome.com