Betsy Hayes, 70, Toddsville;

Focus Family Council Chair

COOPERSTOWN – M.E. “Betsy” Hayes, 70, Toddsville, long active in public health initiatives, and most recently in the news as president of the Centers at Cooperstown (former Focus) Family Council, passed away on Jan. 2, 2019, from complications of a recent illness.
Born in Plainfield, N.J., to Norma and Dick Wagner, Betsy cherished the memories of her early childhood in the South Jersey town of Delanco, moved to metropolitan Cranford, N.J., in middle school, and obtained a BSN degree from Keuka College.
Her early professional work included hospital nursing in New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut. She later worked for the Upstate Home (now Springbrook), Otsego Head Start, the Otsego Area School of Practical Nursing, the Brookwood School, and the Otsego Public Health Partnership.
She was a co-founder of the Healthy Families Home Visiting program at Opportunities for Otsego, served on various program advisory committees, and most recently was health policy consultant to Otsego Head Start. She held state certification as a Public Health Program Specialist.