Elizabeth Stewardson Ford, a 57 year resident of Princeton, died with family present Saturday September 24, 2016. Born Elizabeth Masland Dana in Philadelphia on December 13, 1935, and known as Betsy, she was raised in Villanova, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Andrew Crawford and Ellen Masland Dana. She was elected head of student government her senior year at The Baldwin School where she graduated in 1954. As a young woman, she and her sister, Sally, were both junior champions at Merion Golf Club where she had her first hole in one at age 16 playing with her father.
After Mrs. Ford graduated from Mt. Holyoke in 1958, she worked as a librarian at Haverford College. The following year she
married her childhood sweetheart, William Emlyn Stewardson. They settled in Princeton where she worked at Miss Fine’s School and helped her husband form the real estate
brokerage firm bearing his name. They were the loving parents of three children: a son, Dana Stewardson of Haverford, PA and two daughters, Elizabeth Connolly (Kevin) of Lexington, MA and
Caroline Thornewill (Luke) of Nantucket MA.
In December 1972, Mr. Stewardson died suddenly. On March 1, 1975 she married Jeremiah Ford who was a good friend of both and the architect who had designed the family home. In 1974 Mrs. Ford rejoined her late husband’s real estate firm, Stewardson -Dougherty Real Estate Associates, Inc. as vice president.
She enjoyed travelling with her family and summering in
Nantucket. Her many interests included playing bridge,
leadership roles in the Garden Club of Princeton, the Marquand Park Association and the Mt. Holyoke Alumni Association. She enjoyed her involvement at the Foundation Fighting Blindness, the Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia and The Present Day Club in Princeton. In addition to Mr. Ford and her three children she is survived by stepdaughters, Amanda Ford of Lawrenceville NJ and Kate Ford of Maynard MA, grandchildren Ashley and Rob
Stewardson of Philadelphia, Lyla and Nick Connolly of Lexington MA and Wes Thornewill of Nantucket MA and her sister Sally
Willson and her two sons of Columbus OH.
Truly adored by her family she was known as “Granny B” and they will always remember how she shared the great joy in the beauty of the natural world around her- watching clouds, digging for clams, gardening and tracing the advance of the butterfly from cocoon and caterpillar.
Contributions in Mrs. Ford’s memory can be made to: The
Foundation Fighting Blindness, 7168 Columbia Gateway Drive, Suite 100, Columbia MD 21046. www.fightblindness.org
A memorial service is planned at The Princeton University Chapel for Monday, November 21st at 10:00AM.
Arrangements are under the direction of The Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton.
