BETTY ANN RUSSINKO

MEMORIAL DONATIONS MAY BE MADE IN BETTY ANN'S NAME TO: MILTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 316 DOVER MILTON ROAD OAK RIDGE, NEW JERSEY 07438 https://www.miltonumc.net/giving/. VISITATION: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2023 4PM TO 8PM STICKLE-SOLTESZ FUNERAL HOME FUNERAL SERVICE: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2023 10:30AM MILTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 316 DOVER-MILTON ROAD MILTON, NJ 07438 973-697-3194 INTERMENT: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2023 FOLLOWING FUNERAL SERVICE MILTON CEMETERY MILTON, NJ 07438 Betty Ann Russinko, of Northumberland, NY, passed away peacefully in her sleep on January 29, 2023 at the age of 73. Betty Ann was born in Paterson, NJ on March 26, 1949, the youngest daughter of Frank and Gertrude (Birkhoff) Streelman. Her formative years were spent in Jefferson Township, where she graduated from Jefferson Township High School in 1967. Following graduation, Betty Ann studied to be a dental hygienist before falling in love with her soulmate, Gary Robert Russinko, in 1969. The couple first met at a gathering for a mutual friend, where Gary introduced himself by spilling his drink down the front of Betty Ann’s dress. Undeterred and enamored, Betty Ann spent the next six months exchanging letters and phone calls with Gary, who was stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota and had been home on leave when they met. In July, Betty Ann flew out to South Dakota for a visit, and on August 1, 1969, the couple impulsively ran off to Chadron, NE and eloped, since Gary was legally too young to marry in South Dakota. Following a brief trip home to celebrate their marriage with family and friends, the newlyweds returned to South Dakota, where they spent the remainder of Gary’s enlistment before moving back to New Jersey, where Betty Ann took a job as a bookkeeper at the first of three automotive dealerships for which she’d work over the course of her career. Daughter Laurie was born in 1973, and soon after the family moved back to Betty Ann’s hometown of Jefferson, where they built the home in which they would spend the next 41 years, hosting countless holiday gatherings, parties, picnics and weekly “Friday Night Coffee Nights” with family and friends. Son Gary Jr. completed the family on December 20, 1985. Betty was a devoted member of Milton United Methodist Church, often volunteering to look after the babies and toddlers during Sunday School or Vacation Bible School, and was always happy to contribute baked goods for Coffee Hour or church meetings. An avid baker, she was ever eager to try out a new dessert recipe. She also enjoyed reading, watching her “soaps” and “Hallmark movies”, doing jigsaw puzzles, scroll sawing, and helping Gary with woodworking projects. Vacations were most often spent boating on Lake George in the summer and snowmobiling in the Catskills or Old Forge, NY in the winter. Ever the optimist, she met others’ complaints about snow with the words “Isn’t nature beautiful?” In 1999, she and Gary finally celebrated their long-awaited honeymoon with a cruise to Alaska. In 1989, Gary and Betty Ann opened Woodstock Automotive, Inc., in Stockholm, NJ, and Betty Ann left her job to take over bookkeeping responsibilities for the new endeavor. Together they built a business that would survive two moves, put two kids through college, and support the two of them for almost 30 years, until they retired to upstate NY in 2017. They spent many happy weekends in Brant Lake, NY, in the years before and after their retirement, spoiling their granddogs and enjoying boat rides on Brant Lake, Schroon Lake, and Lake George. Soon after celebrating their 53rd year of marriage, Betty bid farewell to the love of her life, Gary, on September 11, 2022. Betty leaves behind her loving children Laurie (Russinko) Carr and her husband Jeremy of Mine Hill, NJ and Gary Robert Russinko Jr. and his wife Leah of Rexford, NY; brother Frank Streelman, sister-in-law Jean Altmann and her husband Paul, brothers-in-law Russell Russinko and his wife Susan, and Richard Russinko and his wife Diane; and nephews and nieces Lisa, Paula, Jody, Amy, Heather, Lisa, Kelly, Nick, Alex, Victor and Neva, as well as many other cherished family members and friends. The family welcomes visitors for a celebration of Betty Ann’s life at Stickle-Soltesz Funeral Home in Newfoundland, NJ from 4-8 p.m. on Thursday, February 2nd. Funeral services will be held at Milton United Methodist Church on Friday, February 3rd at 10:30 a.m., with burial to follow at Milton Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made in Betty Ann’s name to Milton United Methodist Church, 316 Dover Milton Road, Oak Ridge, NJ 07438 or online at https://www.miltonumc.net/giving/.

BETTY ANN RUSSINKO

March 26, 1949 - January 29, 2023