BETTY APTAKER

Betty Aptaker (nee Somerson), "wafted" 3/4/2022 on her 98th birthday surrounded by beloved family and friends. Born in Atlantic City, NJ 3/4/24, Betty moved to Philadelphia as a teenager. She later lived in Huntingdon Valley, Elkins Park, Langhorne, and finally Newtown, PA

Wife of the late Edward Aptaker, she is also predeceased by her brother Herbert and his wife Ileana, and their sons Paul and Michael. Betty is survived by her children Benjamin (Patricia), David (Sherry), Robert (Irit), Susan, and Judith (Richard). Grandchildren Isaac. Aaron, Samuel , Cecelia, Margelit (Shmuel), Yasmin, and Jamey. She is also survived by her niece Rosanne (aka Cinderella) and many great nieces/nephews, great grandchildren, and dear friends.

One of the founders and the leader of the Domestic Violence Project of the Women's Center of Montgomery County as a volunteer, she helped create a hotline and supportive services for battered women and their families, services which had not existed before. Betty was an original member of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence. She was also a founding mother, as well as the first Executive Director of Laurel House � Montgomery County's only shelter for abused women and their children. Betty's accomplishments as a grassroots Feminist were celebrated in May of 2021 when she rode in an antique Cadillac in the Langhorne Memorial Day Parade. Leading a contingent of women celebrating the Centenary of Women's Suffrage, Betty wowed the bystanders and inspired the women marching behind her.

Betty and her husband traveled extensively, visiting all 7 continents. She especially enjoyed adventure travel, including trips to Antarctica, the Galapagos Islands, and the Amazon River. Betty's pride in her family paled in comparison to her family's pride in her. Her intelligence, compassion, quick wit, and joy of life inspired many throughout her life. Betty lived her last 10 years at Pennswood Village in Newtown, PA where she was a vital member of her community, much loved by neighbors and staff. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Laurel House (https://laurel-house.org) or Pennswood Village Foundation (https://pennswood.org/foundation). A memorial service will be held at a future date. Details will be posted on this website.