Gail Betge Cecchetti

Gail Betge Cecchetti, daughter of the late Leslie and Anne Betge, departed this world in her beloved home in Owings Mills, MD surrounded by her family on January 16, 2023. She is survived by her children - Elizabeth and her husband Brent Uhler, Alexander and his partner Tegan Williams, and Lauren and her husband Adam Hamdy. She also had two beautiful grandchildren whom she was so proud of, Rayen Hamdy and Maddox Uhler, with one grandchild on the way, Camdyn Gail Hamdy. She is also survived by her sister Pamela and brother-in-law George Dedecker. Additional family members include the Cecchettis, Goshens, and Brands.

Gail was born in Yonkers, New York where she lived until she attended New England College and obtained her BA in Education, graduating summa cum laude. After living in New England, she had the opportunity to move to the Baltimore area. Gail was happy to be given this chance, as it allowed her to be closer to her aunt and cousins who lived in the area. Gail’s adventures in Baltimore started off with first learning the local unique accent – often getting lost looking for “Blair Road” instead of “Belair Road” and wondering for years who “Danny Ocean” was and why so many people visited him on vacation, only to learn that Baltimoreans were referring to going “down to the ocean” for the weekend. After living in Baltimore for some time and getting married, she decided to pursue her master’s degree in K-12 Education at Loyola University with two little ones at home.

She was the kind of person who always made people feel welcome, she was someone who continuously went above and beyond to be there for others. Whether it was teaching in Special Education, hosting gatherings, or a simple one on one conversation. She was always a phone call away and never turned down an opportunity to listen and provide guidance. Her innate ability to understand how people learned truly gave her an advantage in how to navigate any type of situation. There was a reason why she was often the first phone call for not only her children, but for most of her friends and family as well.

Her years of teaching brought her so much happiness. She kept in touch with many of her students and their families. Her children fondly remember the times when she would keep them waiting at the grocery store while she caught up with former students and/or parents from years before who recognized her and wanted to show gratitude for her hard work and the impact she had on their lives. To say she was a teacher is not enough - she was someone who gave a piece of herself to everyone she worked with. Teaching was part of who she was, and the joy that she exuded each day in her classroom was contagious. Her students meant so much to her that she held onto their cards, notes, and gifts, and remembered their stories years and years later. She talked about them as if she had just returned home from seeing them that day. She not only cared about their success in school, but she made sure that they knew that they mattered, and they could always turn to her for help.

Gail’s love for hosting made her into an amazing cook. It was always exciting for her children to invite their friends over for dinner because they knew that they were in for a treat – whether it was chicken cacciatore, homemade sauce, curry, quiche, eggplant parmesan, or her famous mushroom risotto, everyone left with a full and happy belly. The lively conversations and dynamic personalities surrounding the table were an added bonus, the Cecchetti household was anything but boring.

After retirement, Gail took up the hobby of jewelry making. If you think families get a lot of Amazon packages during the holiday season, you should have seen Gail’s revolving door of bead deliveries. She particularly loved making bracelets and gifted them to friends, family, and caregivers. To many, especially her granddaughter Rayen, a Gail original is a prized possession.

Gail always wanted to be surrounded by people, especially her children and grandchildren. When they showed up at her door, she was in instant smiles. Seeing Mom/Grandma/GiGi, was a time of laughter, love, stories, good food, and wonderful memories. She will forever be in our hearts.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations on behalf of Gail to the Learning Disabilities of America https://ldaamerica.org/donate/ or the Maryland School of the Blind https://www.marylandschoolfortheblind.org/welcome-to-msb/support-us/donate/. A memorial will be held in Gail’s honor in the spring.