Elizabeth "Betty" (Perini) Kincaid

Elizabeth “Betty” (Perini) Kincaid passed from this life on Monday, January 12th.  Betty graced us with her smile and love for nearly 104 years!  She was born February 7, 1922, to Giacomo "Jack" and Josephine Catharine Maria (Righi) Perini, in Spangler, a small Pennsylvania coal mining town.  She shared a home with three siblings: Henry, Leno and Yolanda. 

At 14 years old, she moved with her family to Brooklyn, New York.  Through stories recounting her youth, Betty shared that she had a loving family and enjoyed living in NYC, where she worked as a secretary and embraced life in the city.  One evening while out with girlfriends, they met a group of young enlisted Army men.  One of them, Lee Kincaid, asked Betty if she would go to the Sonja Henie ice skating show with them.  While on leave in New York, Lee gave Betty his military wing insignia, and asked if he could write to her.  Lee and Betty corresponded daily while he was stationed overseas, and upon returning to the United States, they were married on June 25, 1945.  They subsequently moved to Celina, Ohio, into a small home that Lee built on Lisle Street.  It took time, but Betty adapted to her new life.  She and Lee became the proud parents of 4 children: Carolann, Michael, Thomas and Judy.

Along with being a wife and mother, Betty also worked at the Empire Commissary for many years until she retired to become the world’s greatest grandmother, great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother!  Betty was blessed by God with grace, with kindness, with acceptance, with love, and with a wisdom that every day is a gift.  Every person that met Betty experienced her acceptance and love.  She appreciated the opportunities to meet people and share anything she had, whether it be a piece of candy, a cookie or a hug.  Her kind eyes possessed both the wisdom of someone with over 100 years of experiences, but also the twinkle of an energetic young woman. 

Betty will be deeply missed by so many, but all who knew her will carry memories of her love for family and friends and her appreciation of each new day.  Betty is with God and her loving husband Lee, along with her brothers and sister, and her 2 daughters and son-in-law: Carolann (Jack) Thees and Judy Homan.  She is survived by her sons: Michael (Diane) and Thomas (Marianne), 9 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren and 12 great-great-grandchildren.

The family wishes to give special thanks to the many caring friends at Vancrest of St. Marys and EverHeart Hospice.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 AM on Friday, January 16, at Immaculate Conception Church, Celina, with Father Rob Muhlenkamp presiding.  Burial will follow at St. Marys Catholic Cemetery in Celina.

Visitation will be held at W.H. Dick & Sons-Hellwarth Funeral Home in Celina, 4:00 to 7:00 PM Thursday, January 15, and before Mass on Friday morning, from 9:30 to 10:15 AM. 

Donations in Betty’s honor can be made to EverHeart Hospice, the IC Endowment Fund, or for Masses.

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