Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Jun 27/01) - Long-time Northerner Elizabeth "Betty" Sperry passed away last Thursday in Langley, B.C.
According to family members, she was looking forward to celebrating her 50th anniversary in the North on July 13. She was 79 years old.
Sperry, originally from England, first worked as a midwife and nurse at the Anglican hospital in Aklavik before joining her husband, the Rt. Reverend John Sperry, the following year. They were married in Coppermine (now Kugluktuk) on April 14, 1952.
"She once said that the Arctic, to many, was considered one of the harshest environments in the world, which ceases to be (harsh) once one gets to know the people, their kindness, their friendship, and their love," said her son, John Sperry.
The couple spent nearly 20 years in Kugluktuk, raising John and daughter Angela, before moving to Fort Smith for fours years.
While in the South Slave community, Rev. Sperry was elected bishop of the Arctic Anglican Arctic Diocese. After spending another two years in Iqaluit, the couple moved to Yellowknife where they have lived ever since.
Her son remembers her as a dedicated mother who supported them at every step along the way. "She was so involved with everything from the smallest to the biggest details of our lives," he said. "I can't put it down to little things. She cared for us, nurtured us, she loved us."
Sperry remained active in the community in her later years as a Brownie and Girl Guide leader, a teacher at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, and a member of the Alter Guild.
Besides her husband and son, Sperry is survived by her daughter, Angela; sister; Margaret Wilson; and her grandchildren; Andrew, Katherine, Olivia and Elizabeth.
Funeral services will be held at Holy Trinity Anglican Church on Thursday, June 28, at 1:30 p.m.
