Betsey Warrick, First Lady Emeritus of I-House and an influential resident of Berkeley for 60 years, died at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland on June 26. She was 95.
Betsey was born in Norwood, Massachusetts, and studied sociology at Smith College. It was here that she met her husband, Sheridan “Sherry” Warrick, and the two were married in 1945. After living together in Amherst and Chicago, the Warricks moved to Berkeley in 1959 with their three children. Sherry was appointed Executive Director of International House in 1961.
Betsey served on the board of directors of the University YWCA for 26 years. She started by teaching English at the Y before getting a master’s degree in education from the University of San Francisco. She spent the next 13 years teaching English as a Second Language at Berkeley Adult School. She also founded the Laotian Handicraft Center with three local women to help Laotian women acquire language and business skills with traditional needlework while supporting their families.
With her husband Sherry, Betsey helped make her home a welcoming place for students, visitors, and immigrants from around the world. She was a humanitarian and a lover of people. She joined her husband at countless I-House functions greeting students and visiting scholars, most of whom thereafter counted her as a lifelong friend. Betsey was an inspiration to every person she befriended. She was sharp and engaged, curious about peoples’ lives, and devoted to the music, art, and cultures of the world.
Betsey is survived by her husband, Sherry; older brother, David; daughter, Becky, and her husband, Ron; son, Dan, and his wife, Karen; son, Doug, and his daughter, Ali; as well as by grandsons, Morgan and Tom, and their wives, Christina and Jeanetta; and great-granddaughter, Maya. She is deeply missed by all.
See In Memory on page 20 of the Fall 2019 I-House Times Newsletter.
If you would like to make a donation in memory of Betsey Warrick, go to The I-House Scholarship Fund page, and under "Special Instructions for this gift" please write "Warrick Scholarship."