Betsy Ruth Bradshaw was born on June 29, 1938, in Madison, Wisconsin.
She enjoyed an idyllic Midwestern childhood with her parents, brother, and
the family dog. Her grandmother also lived with the family, and during those
years she taught young Betsy how to cook, sew, and garden. The family
resided in Compton, Illinois and later in Etna, Ohio. Her parents wanted her
to have a good education, so she rode the city bus from rural Etna into
Columbus, Ohio every day to attend Bexley High School. While downtown
she also took weekly piano lessons from a no-nonsense teacher at Capitol
University. One day he grabbed her hands and clipped off her fingernails.
This episode turned her against piano lessons, but never dampened her
lifelong love of music.

Everything changed just before her senior year of high school. Her father
retired, and the family moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. After graduating
from Ft. Lauderdale High, she attended Florida State University, studying
Public Health. It was at FSU where she met her future husband, Costas
(Gus) Marcus in an unlikely way. At that time, students were not allowed to
use the elevator in the science building; only faculty were afforded that
luxury. However, Betsy had broken her foot and was on crutches. She was
given permission to use the elevator. This is where she met Gus, who was
a teaching assistant at that time while doing doctoral work. He asked her
out, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Betsy graduated from FSU in 1960 and was recruited by the CDC in
Atlanta. Because she was an excellent student and displayed immaculate
“aseptic technique” as a student lab assistant, she was offered her choice
of positions at CDC.

Betsy and Gus married in 1961 and moved to Atlanta, where Betsy worked
as a research microbiologist and bacteriologist. She had her own lab and
was known as “the keeper of the cultures,” as she maintained samples of
deadly pathogens such as anthrax, listeria, and brucella. She co-authored
a paper on bacterial meningitis and won an award in her department for her
research. Betsy later recollected that these were the happiest days of her
life.

Life took a dramatic turn, though, in 1964 when Gus graduated from
pharmacy school and was given the opportunity to open a Rexall pharmacy
back in Florida. It was his goal to own his own drug store, so Betsy
sacrificed her dream job so that her husband could have his.
By 1966, this former research scientist was learning on-the-fly how to
manage a retail pharmacy. As with nearly everything she attempted, she
worked hard to make it seem effortless. Betsy and Gus carefully saved
their money so that they were able to also buy their first house that year.
The following year, Betsy gave birth to their only child, Irene.
Marcus Drugs closed after 35 years of serving the community. The couple
enjoyed their retirement years until Gus suffered a serious medical situation
that required Betsy to be his caretaker for seven years.

As a widow, Betsy occupied her time with cooking, reading thrillers,
volunteering at church, helping care for her adopted “grand-kitty” (Petey),
and traveling throughout Italy and the Mediterranean with Irene.

Tracing Betsy’s life, the best word to describe her was “faithful.” She was
faithful to her family and friends, to her work, in her spiritual life, and with all
of her endeavors. She diligently mastered everything she attempted –
never failing or quitting. Remaining faithful. Betsy was a bright mind and a
bright light right up to her call to eternal life on January 31, 2026.