Elizabeth ‘Bette’ Evelyn O’Hare, formerly of Natick, was a caring wife, mother, grandmother, dance teacher, and friend. She passed away peacefully on Saturday, May 7, 2022, at the age of 102.
Born in Cambridge, Mass. on July 22, 1919, Bette was the daughter of the late Francis and Elizabeth (Messer) LaCroix. The family moved to Hingham in 1927, and Bette graduated from Hingham High School in 1937. Following high school, Bette began working toward her Liberal Arts Associates Degree from Mary Brooks School in Boston, which she earned in 1939. In 1942, at a USO dance in Hingham, Bette met the love of her life, the late John J. ‘Jack’ O’Hare. The two were married in 1944 and went on to have six children. Over the years, while raising her family, Bette held various secretarial positions, including jobs at General Electric in Boston, Truck Center Inc. in Boston, and St. Patrick’s Rectory in Natick.
At a young age, Bette discovered her love for dance. She taught ballet, pointe, and tap dance for many years, and continued her own dance education throughout her life by attending classes and workshops in New York City. In her later years, Bette enjoyed teaching line dancing classes at senior centers in Natick and surrounding towns, until finally retiring at the age of 87. When she wasn’t teaching dance, Bette had a great appreciation for the arts including music and theater, and also enjoyed gardening, reading, and history. She loved traveling with Jack, especially to London where they would spend weeks every fall, sightseeing and attending multiple theatre shows each day.
Bette was the loving mother of Carol Davis and her husband William Guss of Arlington, Judith Vogel and her late husband Thomas of Leominster, Jacqueline O’Hare and her late companion Donald Darling of Weymouth, Caryn Scarcella and her husband Angelo of Needham, Linda O’Hare of Santa Barbara, CA, and Kevin O’Hare and his wife Sherry Baker of Framingham. She was the proud grandmother of 13 - Steven Gallagher, Kristen Davis, Peter Davis, Dawn Malone, David Vogel, Christopher Scarcella, Stephan Scarcella, Jennifer Brown, Thomas Strausborger, Lindsay Anderson, Jason Piselli, Sean O’Hare, and Kasey Gallagher - and the great-grandmother of 32.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend visiting hours on Sunday, June 5, 2022, at 12 p.m., followed by a memorial service at 1 p.m., at George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home, 1305 Highland Ave, Needham, MA 02492. Private burial to follow on Monday, June 6, 2022, at High Street Cemetery in Hingham.
In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made in Bette’s memory to The Tomorrow Fund at www.tomorrowfund.org or by mailing a check to: The Tomorrow Fund, RI Hospital Campus, Physicians Office Building, Ste. 422, 110 Lockwood Street, Providence, RI 02903.