Betty Aidala

ALBANY, NY - Betty Liakos Aidala passed away peacefully after a brief illness on November 29, 2012 at St. Peter's Hospice Inn surrounded by her family. Born April 30, 1923 in Watertown, MA, she was the daughter of Peter and Mary (Satras) Liakos. She was predeceased by her husband of 51 years, Joseph B. Aidala, her sister Helen Liakos, and her brothers Nicholas and James Liakos. Betty spent her youth in Watertown, MA and graduated from Watertown High School in 1941. She married Joseph Aidala on February 8, 1947. They raised their family in Bellerose, Queens. Betty was a devoted mother, skilled homemaker, excellent cook, and accomplished seamstress. In 1966 after years as a stay-at-home mother, she began her career with the city of New York Department of Environmental Protection. As a department supervisor, she served with distinction earning the Mayoral Incentive Award in 1980. Throughout her life, Betty enjoyed entertaining friends at home, playing competitive bridge, ballroom dancing, and traveling the world. She was an avid reader and frequent user of the library; she supported the League of Women Voters. Proud of her Greek heritage, Betty was a fluent speaker and writer of her native language. In 2001, Betty moved to the Seville at Water's Edge in Bayside. In recent years, she was a resident of an assisted living community in Great Neck. The primary focus of Betty's life was her family. She was a devoted mother to her daughter and son, and a beloved "Grammy Betty" to her four grandchildren. She is survived by her daughter, Lynn Aidala and her husband Mickey Littmann of New York, NY and her son Gregory and his wife Judith Aidala of Salem, NY. She will be fondly remembered by her four grandchildren, Katherine Vorlage, Daniel Aidala, Mark Littmann, and Pamela Littmann. She was the proud great-grandmother of Peter, and twins Edward and Thomas Vorlage. Friends may greet the family and celebrate Betty's life at 10 AM on Saturday, December 8, 2012 at St. Michael's Cemetery in the St. Francis Mausoleum located at 7202 Astoria Blvd., East Elmhurst, NY 11370. A brief service will be held at 11:00 a.m. There will be no calling hours. Betty's family would like to thank the nurses and staff at St. Peter's Community Hospice in Albany for their care and support. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Betty's memory to the Joseph B. and Betty Aidala Scholarship Fund at Queensborough Community College, Dept. of Electrical Technology, 222-05 56th Ave., Bayside, NY 11364.