Elaine B. Werboff

Elaine B. Werboff September 15, 1926 - December 25, 2010 Elaine Werboff, 84, of Mansfield Center passed away on December 25, 2010. Elaine was born on September 15, 1926 to the late Margaret (Kelly) and Wilbert Betz and grew up in East Liverpool, Ohio, a small town in Eastern Ohio, along with her only sister, Bette. Following her graduation from East Liverpool High School in 1944, Elaine received her Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Ohio State University in 1948. Unlike women of her generation who chose marriage and family, she opted to get her Master's degree in Child Development from the University of Minnesota at a time when few women went to graduate school. In the 1970s, she returned to graduate school at the University of Connecticut for a sixth year diploma, which she accomplished while working full-time and raising her family. At the University of Minnesota, she met her ex-husband Jack Werboff with whom she maintained a warm relationship over their entire lives. Having come from a small rather stoic traditional Midwestern family, she reveled in the outward expressions of love with which her in-laws welcomed her. Together they created the big family that she so desired. As a family, they lived in Fort Walton Beach, FL, St Louis, MO, Royal Oak, MI and Bar Harbor, ME before arriving in Storrs, CT in 1968. Family, especially her five children and three grandchildren, meant everything to her. Her children whom she loved dearly are Judy Werboff of Atlanta, GA; Susan Werboff of Manchester, CT; Barbara Werboff and her partner Bill Copeland of Atlanta, GA; Neal Werboff and his wife Kathy Carroll of Columbia, CT; and Ann Werboff and her husband Michael Reife, DC of Glastonbury, CT. Elaine also dearly loved her grandchildren, Amanda Werboff of Hartford, CT; Capt. Ericka Carroll, VMD of Indiatlantic, FL; and Jessica Carroll of Berkeley, CA. She also leaves her younger sister, Bette Wright of Roseville, CA, along with Bette's three children and their families. She was truly the hub of the wheel that kept the spokes of her family together. Her greatest joys in life were traveling, being outside in nature and the arts. She traveled throughout Europe but especially enjoyed exotic locales with diverse populations. She ventured as far as South Africa and Egypt and regretted the trip to China that her health kept her from taking. During the family's residence near Acadia National Park in Maine, she renewed her joy in the beauty of nature. She hiked, picked wild blueberries, and watched birds and other wildlife. She loved the smell of low tide when driving onto Mt. Desert Island, picnics in Acadia with her husband and kids, and learning about birds and wildflowers. She continued to hike all her life, including a mountainous climb in the Swiss Alps in her sixties and numerous hikes into the Green and White mountains of New England. She loved to walk and continued to do so until her body no longer allowed her. She also became an avid cross-country skier, looking forward with excitement to the snowy winters of Connecticut. She enjoyed the arts, whether it was an art museum or gallery, plays and concerts at Jorgenson, theatre at the Hartford Stage or the latest movie. She regularly attended Theatreworks with a close circle of friends from her EASTCONN days, Sylvia Gilberto, Anne Marie Niedzwicki and Mary Pickering. She passionately believed that all children had worth no matter what their background and was professionally dedicated to helping them reach their potential. She started her career in Bar Harbor working with developmentally disabled students in the local public school system. Upon moving to Storrs, her career evolved when she worked as a school psychologist in the Windham Public School system, where she made lifelong friends, such as Bernie Mohan and Maryanne and Hank Brown. After leaving Windham, she worked for EASTCONN in a similar capacity facilitating the relationship between the school administration, teachers and parents in order to make students' lives better. All told, she worked 23 years as a school psychologist. Even upon retirement, she continued to work into her seventies first as a vocational evaluator and then as a surrogate parent for foster children. Elaine will be remembered as a fiercely independent woman with a sharp wit, irreverent sense of humor and resilient spirit. She was adventurous, uninhibited, honest, generous and loving. She lived life fully and constantly looked for ways to enrich her mind and soul. She will be dearly missed by her children and family and all her friends. Calling hours will be held Thursday, December 30 from 2:00 - 3:00 pm followed by a memorial service at 3:00pm at Potter Funeral Home, 456 Jackson Street (Route 195), Willimantic. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Nature Conservancy, 55 Church Street, New Haven, CT 06510 or the Arthritis Foundation, 35 Cold Spring Road, Suite 411, Rocky Hill, CT 06067. For online memorial guestbook, please visit www.potterfh.com