Mary Elizabeth Wieland

GREAT VALLEY — Mary Elizabeth Wieland, known to her friends, family and colleagues as “Betsy,” passed away peacefully at home Wednesday, April 22, 2026, after a long illness.

Betsy, a proud graduate of Holy Angels Academy and Rosary Hill College, had a long and impactful career in nonprofit leadership. She started off with the Girl Scouts of Buffalo when her girls were small, then moved on to become the executive director of Campfire Boys and Girls of Western New York, focusing on programs for economically disadvantaged children.

After moving to Massachusetts, she served as the executive vice president at United Way of Central Massachusetts. When her husband, Paul Wieland (d. 2023) accepted a teaching position at St. Bonaventure University in 2000, they moved to Great Valley.

She worked for the Cattaraugus County Office of Aging, providing information sessions on Alzheimer’s Disease identification and care. Betsy was a regular and quiet supporter of small nonprofit organizations throughout her retirement and taught her daughters that small acts of philanthropy are a civic duty.

An avid reader, Betsy read a book per day for most of her adult life. An introvert by nature, she and more extroverted husband, Paul, hosted wonderful parties several times per year that featured her extraordinary cuisine. She valued her lifelong friendships, some of which she began in high school.

She opened her home to many St. Bonaventure students for meals over two decades. She was quiet and preferred preparing for events over socializing. Betsy liked math and language games like Scrabble and Sudoku and loved playing card games such as bridge or canasta with friends.

Betsy was poised, stylish, thoughtful, gracious and reserved. Her outfits were effortlessly coordinated. She was an enthusiastic maker — and keeper — of lists and highly organized. This organization was challenged when she and Paul started adopting golden retrievers in the late 1980s, but she made it work. They raised seven of them over the years.

Betsy was married for 62 years to Paul and lived most of her life in Western New York, including North Buffalo, Tonawanda, the town of Boston and Great Valley.  She navigated generations of change at home and in the workplace, raising strong, capable daughters who will miss her greatly: Cynthia Meyer (nee Wieland), Karen Wieland, and stepdaughter Caitlin Bauer.

Born to Francis G. and Margaret Loretto Leonard Kellner of Buffalo, Betsy is also survived by her beloved sisters, Margaret L. “Lorry” Hanover and Constance “Connie” Schuster, both of Canandaigua. The sisters were close their entire lives, spending time together weekly when they lived near each other, and talking on the phone when they lived apart. We are sure Betsy has joined Paul, her late sisters Carol McLaughlin and Nancy Kellner,  her late brother, Joseph Kellner, her parents, and her lifelong bestie, Jeanine O’Neil, in heaven.

Betsy is also survived by her dear friend and sister-in-law, Annemarie Wieland Jason, with whom she created countless family celebrations, endured endless fishing stories, and laughed at Paul’s jokes.

Betsy is also survived by her son-in-law, Stephen Meyer; her grandchildren, Samantha and Declan Meyer; and her nieces and nephews, Julie Knight, Laurie Hanover, Marcy Hertz, Mark McLaughlin, Mary Quinn, Martin McLaughlin, Keith Schuster and Kregg Schuster.

In the last years of her life, Betsy was surrounded by a circle of angels who helped her remain in her home. We are grateful to all of the angels on Team Betsy, and want to give special thanks to Judy Hoag and Marcia Wass for their love and help.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 30, 2026, at Holy Name of Mary RC Church in Ellicottville, followed by a gathering at the family residence.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Covenant House.