Elizabeth “Bettye” Stears

Poestenkill- Elizabeth “Bettye” Stears, a longtime resident of Poestenkill, passed away suddenly on Wednesday, August 5, 2026 at the Samaritan Hospital in Troy.

Born in Poestenkill on May 9, 1926 , Bettye celebrated her 100th birthday alongside family and lifelong friends earlier this year. She was the daughter of the late Norman Stears and Theresa Shultz, and the elder sister of the late Joyce Dreher.

Bettye was very proud of her German heritage, and worked hard to become a true master of her craft. Her first job was at Martha Washington candy store in Troy. She then went on to begin her work as a seamstress, which included making sample shirts for models at Jacobsons, then on to making horse racing bridles for Empire Manufacturing. She always took great pride in her work, and was able to showcase her skills by working at Yvonne’s Bridal Gallery in Latham, where she enjoyed hand beading wedding gowns until her retirement in the early 2000’s.

Bettye was a long time member of the Poestenkill Home Bureau, and she enjoyed spending her time knitting hats and scarves for family, friends, and local charities. She was most proud of her Blue Ribbon winning cable knit sweater that she made for the Schaghticoke Fair. Bettye was known for her love of stock car racing, which she always said came from her father, who used to take her to the local stock car tracks growing up in the 40’s. This ignited her love of auto racing, and she became greatly known among the local racing community. She never missed a race at Lebanon Valley Speedway, and was the President of the Butch Jelly fan-club, as well as a loyal and long-time Kenny Tremont fan. You may have even been lucky enough to see her racing around town in her black Monte Carlo SS, which she proudly named Black Beauty.

Bettye is survived by her niece, Agnes Pollay and her husband Scott, great-niece, Krista Gray and her husband Matthew, and great-great niece, Brooklyn Elizabeth, of Moorpark, California.

A Celebration of Life will take place on Thursday September 10th , from 4:00-7:00pm at the Sullivan-Jones VFW Post, located at 25 Veterans Street in Poestenkill. To honor Bettye and her love of stock car racing, guests are encouraged to wear their favorite racing gear.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Samaritans Purse, a charity that was near and dear to Bettye. www.samaritanspurse.org