ONEONTA – Betty Irma Laitsch, 77, passed away on Wednesday, November 1, 2006 at her home with her family by her side.

She was born June 12, 1929 in Manhattan, the daughter of Emil and Hirta (Boule) Jacques.

Betty married Gottfried Carl Plaag on January 30, 1950 in Manhattan. He predeceased her on August 1, 1984. She then married John W. Laitsch on June 17, 1989 in Oneonta.

In 1939, at the age of 10, her mother brought her to Charleroi, Belgium to attend school and live with relatives. But in May of 1940 German troops invaded Belgium on their way to France. Betty was stranded in Belgium until 1946, living under Nazi occupation until Allied troops came through in September 1944. During occupation Betty served as a translator for the Free-French. After liberation she worked at a United States Army Quartermaster Depot as a bilingual switchboard operator.

Upon returning to New York and reuniting with her family, Betty was a member of the Free-French War Veterans and Ladies Auxiliary of New York Post #1. Betty worked at Coty for a number of years before becoming a housewife on Staten Island and Tuxedo, NY. Betty also worked as a school bus driver in Nanuet, NY; a French specialty cook in Tuxedo Park and Arden, NY and an alterations seamstress at Bresee's Department Store and later out of her Southside home. Betty was a member of the Lutheran Church of the Atonement in Oneonta.

She was an avid angler who fished the fresh waters of Alaska, Canada, Vermont and upstate New York.

Betty loved both wild and domestic animals. She made a home to many a stray cat and injured bird. She held a special place in her heart for her beloved dog, Chipper.

She is survived by her husband, John W. Laitsch of Oneonta; a daughter, Nancy and her husband, Timothy Johnson of Oneonta; a son, Robert and his wife, Linda Plaag of Richmond Beach, Washington; grandchildren, Eric A. Johnson and Carlena Kay Johnson; a sister, Ginette DeVriese of Montreal, Canada; a sister-in-law, Caroline "Lena" O'Malley of Rhinecliff; a brother-in-law, Richard P. Laitsch of Pewaukee, Wisconsin; and several nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, November 19, 2006 at the Lutheran Church of the Atonement, 1 Center St., Oneonta, with the Rev. Paul Messner, pastor, officiating.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Lutheran Church of the Atonement, the Catskill Area Hospice and Palliative Care, 1 Birchwood Dr., Oneonta or the American Cancer Society, Southern NY Region, 31 Adam St., Endicott, NY 13760.

Condolences to the family made be sent to www.lhpfuneralhome.com

The Lewis, Hurley & Pietrobono Funeral Home, 51 Dietz St. in Oneonta, is serving the family.