Betty Noreen (Raycroft) Kercher

Betty Noreen (Raycroft) Kercher, 92, of Ipswich died Wednesday, January 4, 2023 at her home. She was the wife of sixty-four years of the late David M. Kercher.

Betty was born in Cardinal, Ontario, Canada, on June 26, 1930. She was one of eight children of the late Rev. Ray N. and Vera M. (Grue) Raycroft. She was raised in various small towns in New York's rural North Country after the family immigrated to the US in 1933. Betty spent her junior year of high school at Allentown Bible College in Pennsylvania and graduated from Lowell High School in 1950. She began her working career in Washington, DC, and when the family moved to Goshen, Indiana, she eventually joined them, working at Penn Controls. She met her husband, David at work and they married in Elkhart on June 7, 1958. She made the family a home in various places due to David’s work, including the family farm in Goshen, and at General Electric in Burlington, Cincinnati and Schenectady, finally settling in Ipswich, in 1983.

She was a loving member of North Shore Community Baptist Church in Beverly Farms.  She loved children of all ages, raising her seven, and enjoying her grandchildren and great grandchildren.  She was an exuberant person who cared for others and put their needs ahead of her own.  She took in strangers — once an immigrant family and a single mother and child — and offered her home to a friend in need.  She loved to volunteer for childcare in the various nurseries of churches she attended, singing lullabies, psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. At one time in her life she was a member of a trio who sang on radio and at camp meetings in the 1940s and 50s.

She is survived by seven children, Kimberly Wilson and her husband Allan of New York, Capt. Matthew Kercher (USN – Ret.) and his wife Ellen of Chelmsford, Andrew Kercher, Steve Kercher and his wife Marcia, and Elizabeth Kercher all of Ipswich, Jason Kercher of Thailand, and Amy Kercher of New York; twelve grandchildren, Ashley, Megan, Joshua, David, Robert, Meredith, Shalom, Orison (previously Maria), Mission, Myles, Timothy and Anna; and two great grandchildren, Eleanor and Gregory.  She is also survived by four sisters, Lois Freeman of Colorado, Beverly Risch of Arizona, Faith Ashby of Colorado and Donna Neathamer of Michigan, and many nieces and nephews. She was the sister of the late Joyce Fletcher, Ray C. Raycroft and Bethel Brechtel.

Visiting hours will be held  Friday, January 13 from 4:00 to 7:00 pm in the Whittier-Porter Funeral Home, 6 High St., Ipswich. Family and friends are cordially invited. The rite of Christian burial will be held Saturday, January 14 at 9:30 am in the New Linebrook Cemetery, 405 Linebrook Road, Ipswich followed by a memorial service at 11:00 am  and a reception at the North Shore Community Baptist Church, 9 Hart St., Beverly Farms. In lieu of flowers, please direct gifts to North Shore Community Baptist Church at https://nscbc.org/giving

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