Elizabeth Ann "Betty" Ainsworth

Elizabeth Ann (Betty Cain) Ainsworth, devoted mother and loving wife, was called by the Lord to join Him in heaven on January 5, 2024. Born to William Edward Cain, Sr. and Francis Seary Cain on December 1, 1934, she was the eldest of four before her mother’s passing. Later, her father remarried Eva Ainsworth, and Betty’s youngest brother, Lewis Herbert Cain, Sr. was born. The family bought land on the Rock Hall Harbor on Walnut Street, in which they built a weekend/summer home, gradually moving there full time and building a successful seafood business (Cain’s Seafood/Cain’s Wharf). Her father and youngest brother Lewis built the company, harvesting and selling seafood all over the Atlantic seaboard, with stores in Rock Hall and Chestertown. Betty’s interesting journey started in the small town of Marshalltown, DE, where her parents lived. As a child, she attended and was baptized at Marshalltown Methodist Church. She was fond of and had a childhood sweetheart named Tom Ainsworth, who had later joined the Navy. Through the years, Betty moved to Rock Hall full time to be nearer to her parents. She worked for the Rock Hall Manufacturing Company (Shirt Factory, as it was known) and then met William (Billy) Owen Walbert, Jr.: a native Rock Haller, brick mason, and musician. They married, and although they never had children together, Billy raised Betty’s four children as his own. He was a great father and provider to them. During that time, Betty worked for years as a Kent County school bus driver substitute. She enjoyed picking crabs in her spare time in the summers, and she and Billy had a waterfowl dressing business for many years, dressing ducks and geese for hunters. She and Billy loved boating, camping, fishing, and crabbing. She was an avid gardener of flowers and loved her yard and spending time working on it. She loved trips to Lancaster, and they enjoyed many vacations to Florida to visit their sons. Betty would put everything on hold to enjoy time with her grandchildren – however, most of the time, if they had planned a trip or vacation, the grandchildren were always included. After being married for 36 years, Billy lost his battle with cancer. Her family and friends came together the best they could to help with the pain of her loss. A few years later, Betty ran into a man, having no idea that, 60 years later, he was her lost teen love who had gone off to join the Navy. Tom Ainsworth had recently lost his wife, and he and Betty cultivated a close friendship, sharing their life stories after so many years apart. They became the best friends that either could ever wish for. They united in marriage at the Rock Hall Methodist Church in 2010, where Betty and her four children attended church for many years. Betty and Tom traveled, taking cruises from Costa Rica, the West and East Caribbean, Panama Canal, Canada, and more. They loved visiting family in Rock Hall and in Florida. They both enjoyed Broadway shows in New York and frequented there, attending the Rockettes Christmas show at the Rockefeller Center each year as well. They made their home in Wilmington, DE while still frequenting Rock Hall to see her family and friends. After Tom’s passing in 2021, Betty remained in Delaware, with regular visits from her friends and family as well as her church family from Ebenezer Methodist Church. Betty was preceded in death by Thomas Ainsworth and William Owen Walbert, Sr.; her parents, William Edwin Cain, Sr., Francis Seary, and Eva Cain; brothers, William Edwin Cain, Jr. and Lewis Herbert Cain, Sr.; sister, Madeline Cain Cornelius; and son, Raymond Nelson Godfrey. She is survived by sister, Jean Russell of Wilmington, DE; sister-in-laws, Janet (Dickie) Jamar of Rock Hall, Carolyn Simms of Rock Hall, and Louise Ainsworth of Nevada; sons, Clifton Robert Godfrey, Jr. of Lake Mary, FL and Arthur Godfrey of Clinton, NC; daughter, Elizabeth (Betty Ann) Glenn of Rock Hall; grandchildren: Robert Owen Godfrey (Jennifer), Robyn Godfrey, Jennifer Gurkin, Justin Godfrey, Lanna Godfrey, Kelley Lee Glenn, Roni Lynne Thomas (Joe), Heather Leigh Godfrey, and Courtney Godfrey; great-grandchildren: Bodhi, Savannah, T.J., Tatiana, Jayden, Joey, Taylor, Kady, Krisi, Kingston, London, Roman, Logan, Gabriel, and Havana. A service will be held on Tuesday, January 9 at 2:00 pm at Rock Hall Methodist Church with a visitation one hour prior, from 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm. An additional service will be held on Thursday, January 11 at 9:00 am at Doherty Funeral Home (1900 Delaware Ave. Wilmington, DE 19806). Interment to follow at All Saints Cemetery in Wilmington.

Elizabeth Ann "Betty" Ainsworth

December 1, 1934 - January 5, 2024