Betty Greenwood Obituary

Greenwood, Betty S.

passed away peacefully on December 23, 2025 at the age of 97. She was born in Montclair, New Jersey, to Frederick W. Schaumburg and Marietta Copeland Schaumburg. In 1950, Betty married Charles "Chuck" L. Greenwood, upon his graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy. They were together 67 years until his passing in 2017.

Betty poured her intelligence, wit, charm, and creativity into each of her many roles in life. Like many Navy wives, she faced the challenges of raising a family while her husband was stationed elsewhere in the world, sometimes for six months at a time. Yet, as the wife of a Navy Chaplain, Navy wives gravitated to her for support and advice during hard times, so she soon found herself taking on the role of a counselor, eventually earning her an award of merit from Admiral Elmo Zumwalt for her time and effort in helping others cope with the challenges of being Navy wives.

As Betty and Chuck's four children began to leave home for college, Betty's keen interest in political and social issues led her to became active in a new chapter of the National Organization for Women. With added confidence, Betty seized the opportunity to start a new chapter of her life as well. Inspired by puppeteers like Shari Lewis and Jim Henson, and moved by her lifelong love and concern for animals, she learned ventriloquism and started performing shows with animal puppets which she used to teach environmental conservation while delighting audiences with her quick wit. Her work led to an opportunity with the International Crane Foundation, where she used her puppetry skills to help increase the survival rates of migrating cranes. She also performed shows and led ventriloquism workshops in Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, and China, frequently in the local language. In the City of Gottingen in Germany, she was awarded the Silver Award by the city.

Betty is survived by her children, Larry Greenwood, Gary Greenwood, Carolyn Greenwood, and Cheryl Falkenburry; her nine grandchildren; and eight great- grandchildren. Her warmth, wit, extraordinary talent, and her limitless love will be greatly missed. Memorial donations can be made to the International Crane Foundation at savingcranes.org or the Jane Goodall Institute at give.janegoodall.org.

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