Kathleen Elizabeth (Eales) Diggs

Kathleen Elizabeth (Betty) Diggs, 94, of North East, MD, died Wednesday, April 30, 2014 at home surrounded by her family. She was born in Sioux City, Iowa, on December 16, 1919. Betty was the daughter of James Stanley and Dorothy (Prescott) Eales.

Betty was an active member of St. Mary Anne’s Episcopal Church where she directed the Altar Guild for many years. Her love for her Lord was evident in all that she did. She loved getting outdoors and enjoyed golfing, gardening and sailing.  After retirement, she and her husband Bob lived aboard their sailboat traveling down to Florida and the Bahamas during the winter. Betty was an excellent cook and loved having people over for a meal. She was also a great quilter.

Helping others was very important to Betty. She was a faithful mentor at North East Elementary School. She and her husband also volunteered for Northern Chesapeake Hospice. When a friend or neighbor was under the weather, Betty could be depended upon to show up with a slice of pie or a pot of hot soup.  Betty loved her friends and neighbors in her community of Hances Point.  She was known for her humor, hospitality and, of course, her delicious lemon meringue pie.

Survivors include: three daughters: Kathleen "Kit" Diggs de Bolster of IJsselstein, the Netherlands, Leslie Diggs Lee of Wellesley, MA, and Dorothy Prescott Diggs Mininger of Susquehanna, PA;  one son: Robert Schnepfe Diggs, Jr. of La Mesa, CA; and one sister: Barbara Eales Taylor of St. Petersburg, FL. She is also survived by her 7 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Schnepfe Diggs, Sr. and one brother, Edward Prescott Eales.

A memorial service will be held Monday, May 5, 2014 at 11:00 am at St. Mary Anne's Episcopal Church, 315 South Main Street, North East, MD. Interment will follow in the church’s Christine Cameron Memorial Garden. The family would like to thank the nurses and caregivers of Amedysis Hospice of the Greater Chesapeake for the care and comfort they provided Betty in her final days. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Betty’s name may be directed to either St. Mary Ann’s Episcopal Church or Northern Chesapeake Hospice Foundation, in care of Crouch Funeral Home, P.A., 127 South Main Street, North East, MD 21901.

---