Obituary: Betsey Morse Mayer

Betsey Morse Mayer, of Belmont, died unexpectedly on Feb. 11, at age of 72.

Mayer died of a heart attack which took place in Vieques, Puerto Rico, where she frequently went to paint landscapes.

In the course of her life she became an accomplished artist in the media of drawing, oils, watercolors and print-making. She also ran a successful business in landscape design, based in Belmont.

Born in New York City, she attended there an elementary school for gifted children.  From the Dalton School she matriculated at Radcliffe College in Cambridge where she majored in Fine Arts.

In 1963 she married Joseph Mayer, and they soon moved to Cambridge and a few years later to Belmont with their son Daniel, born in 1973. During these years she continued her study of art. The marriage ended in divorce in 1990.  

Soon after, she earned a certificate in landscape design from the Radcliffe Institute. While building up her landscape business, she continued to paint and organize excursions for painters to Vieques and to Ireland. Her art appeared frequently in the greater Boston area and in Vermont, in both one-person exhibitions and group shows. 

Her most recent one-person exhibition was in September 2011 at Habitat, a Massachusetts Audubon Sanctuary in Belmont.

Betsey was predeceased by two beloved sisters, Deborah Morse and Ellen Castle.  She is survived by her son, Daniel Mayer, an accomplished graphic designer, her daughter-in-law, Katerina Mayer, and her grandson Felix, all of whom live in Berlin, Germany; by her brother-in-law Peter Castle of Cambridge, MA; and by her niece, Amy Castle of Somerville, and her nephew, Stephen Castle of Frankfurt, Germany. She leaves behind also her loving partner and fellow artist John Brennan of Newbury, NH, with whom she took many painting expeditions, especially in New England, Puerto Rico and Europe. 

She will be deeply missed by her family and by a wide circle of loving friends in the Boston area and beyond.

A memorial ceremony will be held at a time and place to be announced. For further information or to leave an on-line message of condolence, please visit the memorial web site.