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Friends remember Betty MacKay at Genesee Country Village Family and friends describe the late Elizabeth "Betty" MacKay of Caledonia as an amazing person who loved animals, science, family, music, friends and so much more. Those whose lives she had touched gathered at Brooks Grove Church at the Genesee Country Museum and Village to remember the woman who they say was "open minded to all of our crazy ideas." Her daughter, Barbara MacKay Anne predeceased her on January 6, 2009, and was also remembered. MacKay, who passed away March 15, 2009 at the age of 84, and her late husband, John "Jack" MacKay, both were very committed members of the GCM staff, both serving as interpreters. The MacKay homestead, circa 1814 and originally standing on Mill Street in Caledonia, is one of the first buildings that the GCM acquired for the village. It was quite appropriate for family and friends to gather at a quaint church there to remember the woman who dedicated several of the latter years of her life to the living history museum. Perhaps uncommon in the early 1940s, Betty MacKay attended college to major in science and expand on her strong interest in biology. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree, she met and married her husband, the late John "Jack" MacKay and the couple moved to Jack’s hometown of Caledonia to raise their family. Her son, Ross MacKay, recalled she was an active mother whose favorite weekend activity with her children was fossil hunting in the area of land off of Spring Street, now home to the MacKay Wildlife Trail. She also loved music, especially musical soundtracks and all of the children played instruments. "She made our car rides resemble a Broadway recital," chuckled her son, Ross as he recalled their singing in the car. In the 1969, MacKay read about the upcoming concert at Woodstock and asked his mother if they could attend. She said yes, of course, and the whole family attended the three-day festival held on a farm in Bethel, New York. Her grandchildren and cousins described her as an amazing woman who once said living through the Great Depression was fun because it allowed her to spend a lot of close, quality time with her extended family because they were forced to live together. Betty was a strong supporter of the MacKay Wildlife Preserve and Nature Trail that bordered her Caledonia home. She encouraged Barry Ganzhorn, the Caledonia man who came up with the idea of the nature trail, every step of the way, from its inception to its dedication and opening, which she attended. She was a member of the MacKay Wildlife Committee. Ganzhorn, along with other volunteers, created the groomed the trail that is enjoyed by so many and continue to maintain and improve it throughout the season. Ganzhorn dedicated his book about how the history of the MacKay Trail to Betty MacKay. Ganzhorn and his wife, Sharyn, called Betty MacKay and Barbara Anne their friends and told those gathered to remember them, "Don’t cry because they are gone; smile because they were here."
The MacKay homestead, circa 1814
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