Betty Ann Wilson

Betty Ann (née Coleman) Wilson of Swarthmore transitioned at home, surrounded by her loved ones, just after sunset on Monday, September 14. She was 79.

Betty Ann was born in Ridley Park to the late Elizabeth Warren Coleman and John Coleman. A member of the fourth of seven generations of her family to live in the Historically Black Neighborhood of Swarthmore, she was the youngest of six children. She lived until her passing on land her grandparents had owned. Betty Ann was a fierce advocate for human and civil rights and a proud lifelong member of Wesley AME Church in Swarthmore. She was a devout believer in God and cherished her connection to the church and its legacy in Swarthmore.

When Betty Ann was a little girl, she hoped to be a flight attendant when she grew up. But in seventh grade, her teacher told her that wasn’t an option. The teacher insisted there were no colored flight attendants. Betty Ann defiantly told her that she would be the first. She dreamed of traveling the world, and though she would go on to visit 10 countries, including Russia, Egypt, Senegal, England, Switzerland, and Mexico, she did not become a flight attendant. She did, however, pursue another dream: becoming an educator.

Betty Ann got her start working at Swarthmore Presbyterian Nursery Day School, mentored by Betty McCorkel. With Betty’s help, Wilson paid for her first year at Harcum Junior College; the SPNDS board covered her second. After graduating from Harcum with an associate degree, Wilson became the director of Citizens for Acting Now Daycare in Chester. After securing a Bachelor of Science from Pennsylvania State University, she began teaching at Nether Providence Elementary School, retiring after 27 years.

Betty Ann earned a master’s degree from Temple University. She brought Black culture and history into her classroom every day. She brought her students the world.

Betty Ann received numerous awards and distinctions, including the Developer Grant Award “Impact: Partner in Education” to produce a comprehensive thematic unit on Black History for NPE classrooms. She served on the first Multicultural Committee of the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District, was a member of the Delaware County Fair Housing Committee, joined the board and was the house director of A Better Chance in Swarthmore, and was a life member of the NAACP. She was the first Black member of Swarthmore Borough Council. 

A collaborator in Philadelphia Folklore Project’s “Making a Homeplace,” an initiative documenting community folklife, Betty Ann was a co-recipient of the Scribe Video Center’s Precious Places grant. This allowed her to document the oral history of the Historically Black Neighborhood of Swarthmore. She was also due to be a consultant on “Making a Homeplace: Historically Black Neighborhood of Swarthmore Collective Oral History / Telling Practice,” directed by her daughter Jeannine Osayande and funded by the Anne Bernstein Richan Peace Action Fund.

Betty Ann was deeply loved, and in her final years was cared for by family members and caregivers. She had a robust social life, full of color (especially yellow, her favorite). She added value to the lives of all who knew her. Her apple pies and fried chicken were the talk of the town. She was known in her community as “the flower lady,” and always welcomed new neighbors with a fresh-cut bouquet. In her final weeks, she spent time at McCorkel Tree Farm in the mountains of Spruce Creek, Pennsylvania, with her childhood friend Connie (Russell) Thomas and other loved ones.

Affectionately known as Dearmom, Aunt Betty, and Queen Bee, Betty Ann is survived by her brother Calvin Coleman (Cecile). She was predeceased by siblings Warren Barrington Coleman, Sylvia Blake (Howard), Shirley Evans, and John Coleman. She is survived by three daughters, Elizabeth Annette Lee-Holmes (Carl), Donna Lee-Diakite, Rachel Jeannine Osayande (Chenoa); sisters-in-law Deaconess Doris Ruley and the Rev. Dr. Dolores E. McCabe; five grandchildren, Makeda Redmond (David, deceased), Isaiah Nelms (Satya), Mandisa (Candace) Lee (Atem), Haliena Yasmine Lee, and Ptah Osayande; nine great-grandchildren; caregivers David (Dado) Lee and Nancy Shade; nieces, nephews, and countless friends and chosen family.

A memorial service was held on September 19 in the yard of her family homestead at 345 Union Avenue in Swarthmore.