Betty Liberata Nickolazas Browning, 78, of Erie, passed away on Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at Hamot Hospital after succumbing to her battle with COVID-19.

Mrs. Browning was born October 6, 1942, in Sharon, PA, a daughter of the late Nicholas and Nancy Nickolazas.

Betty grew up in a noisy, loving, multilingual home with grandfather, Carmine, parents, Nick and Nancy, and sisters, Carmen and Nicky. Inspired by her mother's teaching career and her father's extraordinary work ethic building his dry-cleaning business, she matriculated at Edinboro College to study education.

It was during her time as a student at Edinboro that she met Bob Browning, the love of her life. They shared a bond of being slightly older than their peers, having both worked independently for a few years before beginning their studies. Bob spied Betty on the beach in the spring of 1965 and told her, "We'll fall in love in July." And then, they did. After being properly introduced by their friend John Snow, Bob and Betty began a courtship that culminated in their marrying in Sharon, Pennsylvania on May 10, 1969. They remained happily married for 48 years until Bob's death in 2017.

After earning her bachelor's and master's degrees in education from Edinboro, Betty began her career as a first-grade teacher. She loved every child and made sure each of them knew it. Betty started at Penn Hills in Pittsburgh, but spent most of her career in the Northwestern School District in Springfield.

She left teaching in 1980, when her husband suffered a debilitating spinal injury four months into her pregnancy with their daughter. With the help of their extraordinary community of family and friends, they persevered through the joyful but difficult time in which they became new parents and learned to navigate the challenges of Bob's paraplegia. Bob returned to work as a fifth-grade teacher the following fall and Betty stayed home to raise their daughter, Nancy.

Betty found her truest joy in her role as a mother, and later, as a grandmother. She reveled in endless books at bedtime and applied her ample skill as a teacher in raising Nancy. She often boasted of how easy it was to teach Nancy to read, as if it were proof of her child's ability; in fact, it was less the daughter's inclination and more the mother's combination of talent, intelligence and love. Betty loved Nancy completely and ferociously, and she told anyone who would listen how endlessly proud she was of the daughter into whom she poured her very soul.  Later, she loved her grandsons just the same. Two little boys were a surprise for a grandmother who had previously known only sisters and daughters, and she bragged about their brilliance – and curls – to whomever would listen.

One of Betty's most fervent passions was politics, as anyone who knew her can attest; she was voracious in her consumption of the news and outspoken in her opinions about it. Betty was a devoted lifelong Democrat who served in various roles in the West County Democrats and volunteered for the local chapters of National Organization of Women and League of Women Voters. A few years ago, in recognition of her service, the Erie County Democratic Party awarded her a Lifetime Achievement Award. Betty leaves behind a legacy of political engagement and community involvement that will forever make her family proud.

Betty will be remembered by the many lifelong friends whom she cherished. She was an outstanding cook with exquisite taste, and loved to entertain.  When company came over, she would ply visitors with all the delicious food and drink they could handle. When out to dinner, she'd order a dry Grey Goose martini by telling the server, "Just glance at the vermouth." Betty was the life of the party, an excellent storyteller with an endearing flair for the dramatic, and was riotously funny to boot. She couldn't be hemmed in or told what to do; but Betty was also a lifelong and extraordinary caregiver. If she loved you, there was nothing on earth she wouldn't do for you, sacrifice for you, or give to you. She was a force of nature.

Betty was deeply loved, and will be forever missed.

She is survived by her daughter, Nancy Sen and her husband, Shourin, and two grandsons, Logan and Dylan Sen, all of Boston, MA; her sister, Carmen Sapir and her husband, Steven, Pittsburgh, PA; and a brother-in-law, Anthony Necastro and his wife, Dolly, West Middlesex; her dog, Nicky, and her two cats, Minerva and Penelope.

In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her husband, Robert Browning, and a sister, Nicky Nickolazas Necastro, as well as several beloved friends.

For those inclined, memorial contributions in Betty's name can be made to the charity established in her late sister's name, Nicky Necastro Children's Cancer Memorial Endowment, C/O Akron Children's Hospital, One Perkins Square, Akron, OH 44308.

Due to the circumstances of the global pandemic, there will be no viewing and interment will be private. The family will hold a memorial service in Erie later this year, when it is safe enough to gather and celebrate her life in the manner she deserves. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www. McGonigleFuneralHomeandCremato ry.com .

Interment: America's Cemetery, Hermitage.