As she did so many times before, Betsy Roderick left the Mount Vernon Unitarian Church on Friday to drive to her home in Old Town, Alexandria. Pat Jackson, fellow church member and good friend, said that Roderick had just picked up some plants from the church’s greenhouse to take down to plant in a garden plot on the Eastern Shore.
A Mazda SUV, coming southbound, collided with her vehicle as she turned off Morningside Lane onto the George Washington Memorial Parkway to go northbound.
“He [the other driver] didn’t have time to stop. She never saw it coming,” Jackson said.
Betsy Roderick was pronounced dead on the scene. The other driver was uninjured; the parkway was closed for several hours.
At Sunday services, the Rev. Louis Schwebius announced that Roderick had died; the congregation was shocked.
“This is a church that has an aching heart — she touched everybody,” Jackson said.
“She was a shining jewel in our church community,” said Deborah Matthews, who attends the church with her husband, Scott Shepard.
Shephard was chair of the Board of Trustees when Roderick was a trustee and said, “She was active in just about everything. From maintaining the property to serving on communities. There was hardly any activity she wasn’t involved in. Anytime there was something going on, she was always on the list.”
Shephard said that every church has a group of people who are involved in everything and are indispensable — Roderick was one of those people.
“The community will be diminished by her loss,” Shephard said. “I don’t know where we’ll get another Betsy Roderick.”
"A VITAL MEMBER of the church, she did so many things for the church. She was right in the thick of things," Jackson said.
"Betsy is a wonderful person, full of love and with a great sense of humor," said Suzanne Cleary. "In the 10 years I've known her through church, I've always enjoyed her company immensely. And she has contributed countless hours working on our church buildings and grounds. She's also been part of our Green Sanctuary program at Mount Vernon Unitarian Church, helping to raise environmental awareness and use our resources wisely."
Joanne and Larry Jackley knew her well; Larry had worked with Roderick on fund drives.
"She was the most energetic, positive, forward-looking person I know," Jackley said.
"When I think of Betsy Roderick, I think of a smile," Jackley said and proceeded to tell the story about Roderick helping with a West Point Class project. He said that he had been talking to somebody about needing somebody to help type up photocopied materials from the past 50 years. When Roderick overheard, she said, "I think that’s something I’d be interested in."
And with that, she spent the next three months, compiling the information. When she turned it over to Jackley, it was almost error-free. He tried to pay her, but when she finally agreed to submit an invoice for $500; she immediately signed it over to the church.
Jackley said that she didn't want to get paid because she was having too much fun. Widowed from Capt. Roger L. Roderick, Class of 1953, she said that she recognized a lot of the names as she read through the information.
Long-time friend Liz Campbell said that she was amazed at how many family histories Roderick had written for her many cousins. Campbell also said that Roderick’s specialty was painting — she painted her own house several times and did a lot of painting at the church.
"I don’t think there was a room or walkway or plant that wasn’t touched by Betsy," said Schwebius. "She was just a woman with a tremendous vitality. Betsy was one of those people who decided to devote herself to a cause and that’s what she did. Some do it and it’s a burden — she did it and it was a joy."