Betty Breeding Corvan, age 96, of Vergennes, Vermont and more recently Cohasset, Massachusetts died on December 24 after a short illness. Born in San Francisco in 1918, Betty attended the Branson School in Ross, California where she played basketball with Julia Child. She graduated in 1940 from Stanford, where she swam competitively and earned a pilot's license under a pre-war program. She had planned to go to medical school, but following the attack on Pearl Harbor volunteered for the Navy and was commissioned Ensign. She served in World War II Washington, DC and Pensacola, Florida, and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. While in the service, she met and married Lieutenant Commander Jerome P. Corvan, Jr., with whom she enjoyed 58 adventurous years of married life. They worked and lived first in New York and Connecticut before becoming pioneer investors in a ski lodge at the launching of Mount Snow, Vermont. They then established a successful commercial orchard in Charlotte, Vermont before retiring to Vergennes. Betty was a positive force in every community in which they resided, earning at one point the title of "one woman community". Along the way, she found time to be volunteer librarian at Middlebury Hospital, member of the rescue squad, superintendent of Sunday School, substitute church organist and breakfast cook for the annual Audubon bird count. Active all of her life, she always had a large garden and was an enthusiastic lover of nature. She was an avid birdwatcher, a Master Gardener, president of garden clubs and a fabulous gourmet cook. Betty was also a witty author and member of the Vermont Penwomen. She was admired and loved by all who knew her, and her fun loving spirit will be greatly missed. Betty is survived by children Constance Corvan Noon of Cohasset, Massachusetts; Peter J. Cowdery-Corvan of Webster, New York and Jerome (Jay) P. Corvan, III of Trappe, Maryland and by five grandchildren and five great grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 10.30 AM on January 24 at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Cohasset, Massachusetts. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Betty to the Vermont Audubon Society (www.vt.audubon.org).
