Elizabeth A. Tanski

Elizabeth Ann (Jacoby) Tanski, age 82, of Perth, NY, passed away November 3, 2025. Elizabeth, known to family, friends, and colleagues as Betsy, was born on June 5, 1943, to the late George Lester Jacoby and Mary Sukala, in Rhinebeck, NY. Betsy was a 1961 graduate of Somers Central School, in Somers, NY, where she was a cheerleader and performed in many of the school’s musical productions. In September 1964, she graduated from Vassar Brothers Hospital School of Nursing in Poughkeepsie, NY, and spent her professional career dedicated to the care of others as a registered nurse (RN) specializing in emergency room critical care, first at the Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, and later at Massena Memorial Hospital in Massena, NY; Cornwall General Hospital in Cornwall, Ontario; Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center in Ogdensburg, NY; and later retiring from Massena Memorial Hospital in 1993.

Betsy married her soulmate, John J. Tanski, Jr., on October 3, 1964, in the Rowe United Methodist Church in Milan, NY. In 1966, they moved to Massena, NY, where John was transferred as a New York State Trooper to Troop B. Together they shared a tremendous passion for the outdoors, where they enjoyed their 32-acre farm and woods, raised a small herd of sheep, became avid beekeepers, and could often be found boating on the St. Lawrence River. John predeceased her on September 2, 2014.

Betsy is survived by their two loving daughters; Anne Elizabeth Tanski of Canonsburg, PA; and Karen Jennifer Tanski of Delmar, NY, as well as by the grandchildren she adored; Lydia Clare Chaikowsky of McDonald, PA, and Cooper Jay Hewison and Julia Marie Hewison of Delmar, NY. She loved cheering them all on: from the stands of basketball courts around the north country, to chilly ice rinks, lacrosse and soccer fields, auditorium halls, violin recitals, horse arenas, and eSports livestreams. She is predeceased by her brother Thomas Jacoby, and is survived by her dear sister, Marcia Gail (Jacoby) Paden, as well as her niece and nephews, grandnieces, and many cousins.

Betsy was a talented weaver and very active in historical preservation. She volunteered for many years at the Almanzo Wilder Homestead and Educational Center in Malone, NY. She was fond of introducing young generations to the stories and way of 19th-century life depicted by Almanzo’s author-wife, Laura Ingalls Wilder. Upon moving to Perth, NY, Betsy volunteered at the Rice Homestead and Historical Museum in Mayfield, NY, where she especially loved decorating the museum for the Christmas season. She belonged to several spinning and weaving guilds in St. Lawrence and Fulton-Montgomery counties, and she studied, and often consulted on, the restoration and curation of antique coverlets.

Betsy enjoyed gardening, making pierogies with her grandchildren, playing Scrabble, tracing genealogy, and hosting large family gatherings. She easily made friends wherever she went and was the first to offer a helping hand to those around her. Her boundless energy, enthusiasm, dedication and tenacity inspired, she touched so many lives, saved lives, and filled our home and our hearts with true joy, love, and laughter.

There will be no public calling hours.  For those so wishing, memorial contributions may be made in her honor in lieu of flowers, to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital at https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html