Elizabeth "Betsey" Schaffer died at age 46 in Baltimore, Maryland at the University of Maryland Medical Center on Friday, September 2, 2011 of unexpected organ failure. Born in Nantucket, Massachusetts to Allan J. and Barbara J. Royal, Betsey attended local elementary schools and Dana Hall School in Wellesley, MA. She graduated from Goucher College in Towson, MD in 1986. While starting her career as IT financial director at First Data, she was first married to Thomas Edward Furman and gave birth to their daughter Caitlin Anne Furman, now age 19. She married Collin William Schaffer in 1998, a former lieutenant in the United States Navy. Betsey was known for her dedication for family, her love of life, and giving to anyone who asked her for help. She is survived by her husband Collin Schaffer of Middletown, MD, her daughter Caitlin Anne Furman of Timonium, MD, her mother Barbara Hickey and sister Aimee Royal both of Half Moon Bay, CA.

A gathering for Betsey will be held at the family owned Ruck Towson Funeral Home, Inc. 1050 York Road (Beltway Exit 26A) will be held on Saturday, September 10, 2011; 12:30 to 1pm, at which time a memorial service will begin. Interment will be private. Betsey was an avid bird lover and volunteer for the Gabriel Foundation in Denver, Colorado, the family asks for donations made to this new Aviary and Adoption Center in lieu of flowers; www.thegabrielfoundation.org