Betty Ann Chesna's life journey ended September 11 th , 2024 at her home in Winder, GA. She passed peacefully with her son Greg at her side, following a brief battle with colon cancer. Betty was born May 13, 1936 in Detroit Michigan. She was a first-generation American, her parents having immigrated from Russia at the time of the Russian Revolution. She and her younger brother Tom Yasin were raised in Clawson, Michigan and had wonderful memories of family gatherings including their lively and talented aunts and extended family. Betty graduated from Clawson High School in 1953. She studied Chemistry at Michigan State and later History and Education at Wayne State, where she received her Bachelor's Degree in 1958. Betty later earned a Master's degree in Curriculum and Administration from Western Carolina University in 1992.

Betty married Fred Chesa in 1958. They met while she was working part time at General Motors and attending college. Together they raised two children, Karen Chesna Adams and Gregory Chesna in Birmingham, Michigan. Fred and Betty loved to sing in the church choir in the many churches they attended during their lives, and Betty was also a Lay Reader. Betty was a master at all sorts of word games, and very competitive (you never wanted to play Boggle or Scrabble with her unless you wanted to be soundly beaten - her vocabulary was amazing!) She had a passion for British and American Colonial history and taught 7 th Grade Social Studies at Cranbrook Middle School in Michigan from 1976-1985 After moving down to Otto, North Carolina she also became the Director of Studies at Rabun Gap- Nacoochee School from 1985-1992. Betty and Fred retired and loved to travel and went on several trips and cruises before his passing in 2007. She later met and partnered with John Speier, and before health and mobility issues kept her homebound, she traveled to every continent except Antarctica. She truly enjoyed meeting friends on her travels and kept in touch with many of them. She spent her last few years homebound and had a great friend and caregiver in Katherine Conklin.

She is survived by her son Greg Chesna and his wife Cindy Colemon Chesna, grandchildren Brian (Cadye) Chesna and Holly Chesna, and Jack Adams, the surviving spouse of Karen. Additional surviving family include her brother-in-law Paul Chesna, and sisters-in-law Nancy Sherman, Corinne Chesna, and Annette Yasin, and dozens of cousins, nieces, and nephews. There will be a memorial service at St. Anthony's Episcopal Church in Winder, GA (174 St Anthony Dr, Winder, GA 30680) on Saturday, October 12 th at 11am (light refreshments will provided following the service in the church fellowship hall). In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the St. Anthony's Episcopal Church.