Betsy "Betty" Jane Robinson

Betsy (Betty) Jane Gras of Trumansburg passed away on March 1st, 2026, at age 95.

Betsy was born June 24, 1930 in Seward, NY, the daughter of the late George and Thelma (Eckerson) Gras. She graduated from Hartwick, New York. Although she was 95 at the time of her passing, according to her calculations, she was 39 until she was 75; then she was 75 until she was 90. Finally, at 90, she resigned herself to actually turning 90.Even then, she would only commit to saying “I’m old, you know”.

Betsy married Charles Robinson 4/3/1954 in Mt Vision, NY. They carved their lives out starting in Amsterdam, then to Geneva and on to Trumansburg where they settled for the rest of their lives, raising five kids, ponies, pets of various kinds, horses, dogs, etc.

She is survived by her children Cindy (Paul); Corky (Diane); Sheila (Larry); Robert (Candace), her grandchildren Christopher (Kate); Samantha (Ryan); Chelsea (Caleb) and Zachery, as well as her cherished great-grandchildren and extended family.

In addition to her parents, George and Thelma Gras and her siblings: Margo Saunders, Shirley Montemurro and Barb Grimes, George, Jr., Gerald and Lois Gras, Don and Wilma Gras, she is predeceased by her husband, Charles “Chuck/Charlie” Bruce; her son, Charles Michael (Mike); and her grandson, Patrick. 

Although she had visions, as a young woman in the early 1950s, to pursue a career as a registered dietitian, those dreams were dashed by opportunity and economy. Instead, she married and had children, always keeping that dream just out of reach. She did, however, develop the baby pictures for nearly 20 years for Cayuga Medical (formerly Tompkins County Hospital). Child labor laws notwithstanding, her kids remember the obligations they had to count out all of the announcements and envelopes (8 each!) for each packet of the baby photos. She also shook things up by working at Lakeside, assisting with patient placements, where she was well-regarded and deeply respected. She managed a fabric shop for a while, as well; however, as her husband’s illness intensified, she stayed at his side until his passing in June 1989.

She and her family lived in a socially engaging neighborhood with a mix of children that remain good friends to this day. It took a village to keep track of all of their comings and goings. She was involved with the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts for her kids. She was also involved in the neighborhood 4-H group, that inspired her daughter to start one of her own in time. The fine young women of the neighborhood were encouraged to pursue dancing: both tap and ballet, which was more short-lived than the other endeavors. She was a seamstress extraordinaire – making everything from swimsuits to tops and pants and even made a prom dress, sewing each sequin on by hand. She used to take her daughters down to the kitting shop in Trumansburg on Tuesday nights where her friends met to knit or crochet. She loved her kitchen and baking was her forte. She got into cake decorating for while, but her standouts were her yeast breads and rolls and popovers.

All of those skills played themselves out as she became a grandmother to Patrick, Christopher, Samantha, Chelsea and Zach. She often would take some subset of her grands down to lunch at Mr. Chicken in Watkins on warm, sunny days and she’d teach the granddaughters how to cook and season vegetables from the garden. Her house was an open slate to them, which often included dress up and performances as well. After her husband’s passing, she got involved with local projects. She loved volunteering at the Gemm Shoppe in Trumansburg for many years. She also tutored reading to immigrants and students in need. She always loved gardening and the flowers that trimmed her house were a testament to her passions of the earth.

She had opinions and shared them liberally. Right or wrong – you knew where you stood. She was tenacious – for good or for naught. Her ever-advancing macular degeneration did not hold her back; she just figured out work-arounds. On one occasion, she fell - breaking her hip & her back in two places - and continued to walk on it for a week before confiding that she might need to see a doctor about an “impingement”. She broke her foot when she fell yet another time and tried to walk it off. She did not want such things to impede her ability to live independently.

She lived to grand old age of 95+ and loved her life at Juniper. In fact, Clara and Betsy (and occasionally a few others) got together during the pandemic and baked cookies for the medical staff at CMC (some of the nurses during Mom’s stay remember the cookies!). They were delivered twice weekly for the duration of covid and beyond. She lost many of her very good friends in recent years and that broke her heart badly. Her friend, Lorena, was one of her deepest friendships and survives Mom.

The family would like to thank the wonderful staff at Trumansburg Family Medicine, especially Jeanine D’Estres - but as importantly - everyone else there, too. Betsy felt like she was getting a ticker tape parade every time she came and got the very best care there. We also wish to thank doctors, nurses and staff that supported Betsy during her stay at CMC -- Bethany, Thou, Cori, Jacklynn, Courtney, Axl, Rodg, Abbey, Jeremy, PreDie, Linney, Chaplain Tim, Dr. Holm, to name some, but not nearly all. A chef’s kiss goes to the hospital café staff responsible for the meatloaf, potatoes and gravy -- prepared so exquisitely last week, that Mom rescinded her DNR and related protocols, (but only for a short time). You are all extraordinary – thank you!

A Graveside Service will be announced at later date.

The family asks those that would like to make a contribution in Betsy’s memory to consider the Trumansburg EMS or Foodnet.