Betty-Jane Scheff
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Betty-Jane “B-J” (Weiss) Scheff of Lincoln, MA passed away peacefully and unexpectedly in the early morning hours of March 27, 2026 at the age of 93.
B-J was born in Brooklyn, NY April 23, 1932 to Nat Weiss and Mabel (Bernstein) Weiss. She attended Brooklyn Friends School, Oberlin College, Columbia University, and Boston University, earning Bachelor’s in psychology, a Master’s in Education, and a Doctorate in Sociology.
B-J married Benson H. Scheff (dec. January 23, 1995) on May 31, 1953. Although Ben and B-J grew up blocks from each other in Brooklyn, they didn’t meet until college. They shared a love for the mountains and nature which they instilled in their four children, who grew up hiking and camping obsessively in the White Mountains and all around New England. For many years they owned a condo in Lincoln, NH that they used as a base for hiking, relaxing and enjoying the mountains.
After a short stay and the birth of their first son in Virginia, the couple moved to Watertown, MA in 1956. There, B-J created a children’s theater program, teaching creative drama and dance. While the family grew, B-J worked as a social service researcher at McLean Hospital while continuing to pursue her Master’s Degree. In 1971, the family moved to Lincoln, MA. There, B-J worked as a clinical Psychologist at Eliot Mental Health in Concord, and then as Executive Director of Wareham Area Counseling Service until she retired in 1994.
After retirement, B-J volunteered with the Massachusetts Red Cross on the Disaster Mental Health Team, and provided services and support for families impacted by the 1999 Egyptian Air 990 Crash and supervising support services around the 2005 Worcester Warehouse Fire. She also provided support for Red Cross volunteers returning to the Boston area after 9/11. B-J was committed to finding affordable housing solutions. When she closed her father’s family business in New Jersey, she worked to sell the property to a developer specializing in affordable housing. She chaired the Lincoln Affordable Housing Commission and served on the Board of the Lincoln Housing Trust. She was actively involved in coordinating the development of senior housing, the Commons (formerly the Groves) in Lincoln, where she eventually lived from 2013 until her death.
B-J was active for many years in the League of Women Voters, Women of Reform Judaism, and Temple Israel of Boston. She was committed to the women’s movement, political empowerment and involvement, and strengthening democracy. She felt her strong commitment to social justice stemmed from her experience as a Jew and the example set by her maternal grandparents who left a comfortable middle class life in Brooklyn in 1927 to go to Poland, Berlin, Paris, and then Lisbon to facilitate the resettlement of over 20,000 Jews away from the Nazi threat in Europe, founding the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS). True to this spirit, in the early 2000s, she welcomed a family of young Sudanese refugees into her home.
She said of herself “I tend to flow into empty spaces filling needs as I find them. I assume there is a way to solve the problem and so I learn new skills and develop new expertise. I trust people to deal fairly and I have never been disappointed.”
B-J was predeceased by her loving husband Benson H. Scheff, her dear daughter-in-law Faye Goldberg-Scheff, her cherished grandson Nick Scheff, and her adored older sister Diane “Dinny” (Miller) Ashe. She is survived by her children Andrew Scheff of Lincoln MA, James (and Michelle) Bloom-Scheff of Wayland MA, Brian Scheff (and Joanne Hiromura) of West Newton MA, and Ann-Mara (and John) Lanza of Wellesley MA; and also by her grandchildren Danielle Scheff, Benjamin Scheff, Sarah Scheff (and Ted Pepe), Hannah Horan, Ben-Zion Bloom-Scheff, Mikaela Scheff (and Jake Harrington), Kyle Scheff, Rebecca Scheff, Nathan Lanza, and LK Lanza; and by her six great-grandchildren Nick Jr, Bella, Quentin, Keenan, Ashtin, and Maya. She is also survived by a large extended family, including her Sudanese “grandchildren” and many loving nieces and nephews.
Funeral service, Sunday, March 29, 2026 at Temple Israel, 477 Longwood Ave., Boston at 1:00 pm. (Parking on the Riverway). Interment at Sharon Memorial Park, 40 Dedham St., Sharon, MA.
Shiva at the home of Andrew Scheff Sunday from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm & 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm and continuing at the home of Ann-Mara Lanza Monday from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
Remembrances may be made to Town of Lincoln – Lincoln Housing Trust, 16 Lincoln Rd., Lincoln, MA 01773 or HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) PO Box 97077, Washington, DC 20090-7077