Betsy and her husband David sailed into East Boothbay about 10 years ago on their 33 foot Bristol sailboat, the "Wells Spring." They decided to build a house in East Boothbay, and settled into a life totally different from the fast pace they had lived for so many years in Dorchester, Mass. Their daughter, an architect, and her husband, David, a builder, designed and built their home within walking distance from the Ocean Point Marina, in East Boothbay, where they docked their boat.

"We were sailors, our children were grown and we planned to spend a lot of time sailing. We were the first ones out in the spring and the last to dock in the fall," she said. "From April until October we were sailing, we just loved it."

This past week Betsy and David pulled up stakes in East Boothbay, and moved to Maryland, where their daughter lives. However, they will be back to visit because of the many friends they have made, and their love for the Maine coast, she said.

Unfortunately their sailing days were cut short because while attending their grandson’s graduation from Columbia University, a few years after moving to Maine, David was hit by a truck backing up on a one-way street, in Harvard Square. He received a broken hip in the mishap. "After that happened we were not able to do much sailing," Betsy said. "We went out a couple times but it was not the same."

Betsy received her Doctorate in Psychology from Clark University in 1979, at the age of 49. She did this while raising three children and working at the same time.

During her career she was involved in teaching special education. She served as the Director of Field Development at Lesley College in Cambridge, and at the Children’s Hospital in Boston she taught at the Developmental Evaluation Clinic training doctors and nurses how to deal with developmental disabilities.

After building their new home, and getting settled in, Betsy wanted to offer her services to the school system. Not being certified to teach in Maine, she decided to volunteer some of her time, by going to the schools and reading to the children.

It wasn’t too long before she found herself working with the Democratic Party, first locally, then in Lincoln County, and the state. She has been chairman of the Boothbay Democratic Party since 2004, a very active member of the Lincoln County Democratic Party, and she served on the state level as a member of the Democratic Platform Committee.

Betsy Wooster, a good friend of Betsy for the past 10 years said, "She will be missed in Lincoln County. She gave so much, the contributions she made to the different organizations and committees in the area will long be remembered."

"It didn’t have to be a big thing that she would be recognized for doing, she was always willing to do the smallest of task. When she was asked to do something the answer was always yes." Wooster said. "The word ‘no’ is not in her vocabulary."

"She is one of those people who truly believes it is better to give than to receive. She was always giving," Wooster said.

The generosity of the Wells went beyond their local community. During the aftermath of Katrina in 2005, at the age of 75, she and David volunteered to go to New Orleans to work with Rebuilding Together, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving affordable housing and homeownership. In the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Rebuilding Together committed to build 1,000 homes across the Gulf Coast. They went at their own expense and rented a place to live for a month.

David was assigned to the building detail, but it didn’t take him too long to find out that he wasn’t really needed because the younger workers knew what they were doing. So being a Veteran, he was reassigned to Veterans’ housing, also a mission of the Rebuilding Together network. His duties were to contact veterans and advise them of the programs available to help them make repairs and modifications to their homes.

Betsy was charged with the administrative duty of organizing files and records relating to assistance programs.

"I was so impressed with the young people volunteering and committing a year of their lives to help with the rebuilding of New Orleans," she said. "After seeing their dedication, I know our future is in good hands."

The Wells were also very grateful to an ambulance driver in New Orleans. While they were there, David had taken their dog out for a walk, the dog, who was on a leash, saw something and tried to dart away, causing David to fall, and as a result of that fall he ended up with a broken femur. The ambulance was called, and when they arrived the driver asked what hospital they wanted to go to. Not being from the area, they didn’t have a choice. The driver said, "I will take you to the hospital where the best surgeon is."

At the hospital, before taking David from the ambulance, the driver went into the hospital and told them he had a patient that was going to require surgery, and requested that a certain doctor perform the surgery.

According to Betsy, they were very lucky to have the ambulance driver they did that day, because the surgery and the care he received at the hospital during his recovery was excellent. "We were so lucky," she said.

Before leaving Maine last week, Betsy already had make arrangements to rent a cottage in the spring to come back and visit. "We won’t be able to stay away," she said.