Betty Celia Chazalon (nee Orme) passed away peacefully in Soldier's Memorial Hospital, just a month shy of her 86th birthday.

Betty was born in Chingford, a borough in northeast London, England, in 1940. As this was during the war years, her earliest memories included seeing the front door to her house blown off when a German bomb exploded nearby, as well as post-war memories of rationing and reconstruction. Her father, Hedley, was a bricklayer who had his own construction firm, and thrived in the post-war years as Britain rebuilt. Betty was the youngest of three children raised by Hedley George Orme and Annie Maria (Nancy) Orme. Her brothers Eddie and Tom were 9 and 17 when she was born. She grew up surrounded by family and neighbours who were almost like family.

After high school she worked in several different jobs, eventually finding her calling as a librarian. In 1964 she married David Ronald Chazalon, a young constable with the Metropolitan Police Force. When they were first married they lived in an apartment owned by the Met, but eventually bought their own home in Chingford. They had two children – Andrew and Catherine (Caty).

In 1970, the young family decided to leave England and emigrated to Canada, settling for several years in London, Ontario before moving out to a rural property in Strathroy. Although a lifelong city girl, Betty quickly embraced country life, planting a large garden, raising chickens, and learning skills such as canning, making maple syrup, and even how to fire a rifle. (Although she did manage to shoot a .22-sized hole in the floor by accident, an incident she later found hilarious.)

Betty was known for her sense of adventure and her sense of humour, with a can-do attitude and a quick – and sometimes acerbic – wit.  She loved a good joke, even if it was at her own expense, and was never afraid to try something new, whether it was learning to cook curry (an exotic dish in 1960s England), figuring out how to prepare the pheasants that a friendly neighbourhood farmer brought by, or taking her children camping in a leaky canvas tent. She delighted in working in the Strathroy Library where she formed many friendships with regular patrons, and welcoming all of her children's friends into her home.

In 1984, she and David moved to Nova Scotia, settling in Hampton. Despite never having worked in a restaurant, Betty ran the Mary Rose Tea Room out of her home for a time, leaning on her considerable skills as a baker and figuring everything else out as she went.

When her marriage to David ended in 1989, Betty decided to remain in Hampton, moving into a new home and embracing her new life. She worked for many years in the Bridgetown Library, where decades of children came to know her as the lady with the English accent who ran the story time. A voracious reader herself – her particular passions were thrillers and murder mysteries – she loved to swap recommendations with library patrons.

She also embraced craftwork, in particular card making and needlecraft. Her children and grandchildren all have quilts, wall hangings, knitted socks, bags, and many more items Betty created; she and her network of fellow artisans also contributed countless pieces to charitable efforts, ranging from quilts for women's shelters to cloth facemasks for health care workers in the early months of COVID.

Betty was a skilled pianist – she was on the cusp of earning her Royal Conservatory Fellowship when she married. She loved a wide range of music, but oddly, she couldn't carry a tune when singing. Although she insisted she was not an organist – she rarely used the pedals – she played the organ and led the choir for many years at the Lawrencetown Baptist Church. More recently she worshipped at the Bridgetown Baptist Church, where she took pride in having a joke to tell the minister at the door as she left, often leaving him with a groaner. (A recent example: How much did Santa pay for his sleigh? Nothing, it was on the house.)

Betty was in excellent health right up to the end, living in her own home and driving. She was admitted to Soldier's Memorial Hospital in Middleton on February 12 and passed away six days later as a result of cancer. In her final days, her children and her good friends Bea Sturney and Kay den Hartog took turns sitting with her.

Betty said there should only be a memorial service if her children and friends needed one, but in typical fashion she also gave them instructions about which hymns to sing and more. (As an organist, she played at many funerals, and once told the director of Middleton Funeral Home that if he gave her an open casket funeral she would come back and haunt him.)

She is survived by her brother Eddie Orme, children Andrew Wagner-Chazalon (Sharon) and Caty Chazalon, grandchildren Samantha (Kyle), Anastasia, Brandon, Isaiah (Cassie), and Charlie (Em); nephews Rick Orme (Chris) and Simon Orme (Karen), and cousin Peter Orme (Suzette).

A memorial service will be held 11:00AM Saturday, February 28, 2026 in Middleton Funeral Home, 398 Main Street, 1-855-825-3448 with Rev. Dr. Steven Hopper officiating. A reception for family and friends will follow the service.

In lieu of flowers, Betty asked that memorial donations be made to the Soldier's Memorial Hospital Foundation, or the Bridgetown Baptist Church.

Online condolences or memories you may wish to share may be made by visiting: www.middletonfuneralhome.com