Betty "Joelle" Caffrey

Betty “Joelle” Caffrey, 90, of Washington, died Saturday, June 21, 2025, surrounded by loved ones.

She was born in Washington, PA to Robert and Elizabeth Culley.  She spent her childhood in roller skates and on the trapeze her father built for her in their backyard.

Mrs. Caffrey attended Washington High School, where she was both head cheerleader and member of various clubs and organizations.  She excelled in both math and design.  She graduated in 1952 and took her amazing artistic skills to Ad-Art Studio School in Pittsburgh, PA.  After graduating from Ad-Art she went to Indianapolis, Indiana and worked as a commercial artist for Ayres Department Store.  In the mid-1950s, she left Indiana and came back to Washington, where she worked as an artist for Hal Lewis.

In 1957, Mrs. Caffrey, known as Joelle, married Robert “Bob” Caffrey and began her journey as a jack-of-all-trades and superior domestic engineer. Thus began a life of traveling, tinkering, and project management.

While her children were young, Joelle coached cheerleading for 7th Ward Midget League, led Cub Scouts, and was an active card club member. During this time, she also designed the Tri State Supply logo, as she was always doodling between household projects.

Later in life, Joelle was the head of the Altar Guild at Trinity Episcopal Church, as well as an active member of her high school reunion organizing committee.  Along with these organizations, she was an avid seamstress, altering clothing for friends and family and making many of her two granddaughters’ Halloween costumes and formal dresses.  She was also an excellent host who encouraged the building of pillow forts in her family room when her grandsons came to visit.

Joelle loved solving puzzles, learning all the facts about things that interested her, and working in her garden.  She had a lightning-fast wit and a delightful silly side.  She was the real handyman of her home, wallpapering, repairing furniture, researching all the things to get a job done correctly, and often fixing all her husband’s “repairs”.  She was a wonderful instructor, teaching her children and grandchildren many lessons like how to sew, cook, shuffle a deck of cards, and more.  She was very skilled in making the best comfort food meals imaginable, a master in assisting with homework assignments (especially at the last minute), and always calm in the face of chaos.

In addition to her parents, Joelle was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Caffrey; brother and sister-in-law, Robert and JoAnn Culley, and brother-in-law, Billy Caffrey.

Surviving are her son, Dane (Mary-Kay) Caffrey of Wallingford PA and daughter, Brenda Caffrey of Washington PA; brother- and sisters-in-law, Edward (Dorothy) Caffrey of Washington, Rose Caffrey of Canonsburg, and Cordelia Caffrey of McMurray; four grandchildren, Dana (Brian) Bell of Canonsburg, Missy (John) Finnell of Pittsburgh, Dane (Caroline) of Conshohocken, and Bobby (Alissa) of Baltimore; and two great grandchildren, Morgandy and Adler Bell of Canonsburg.  Several beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends also survive.

Friends will be received on Sunday, June 29, 2025 from 12:00 P.M. until 2:00 P.M. in the Warco-Falvo Funeral Home, Inc., Wilson at East Katherine Ave., Washington, S. Timothy Warco, Owner/Supervisor, Holly Renay Warco, Director, S. Timothy Warco II, Director.  A funeral service will be held at 2:00 P.M. on Sunday in the funeral home.  Entombment will be private in the Washington Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research, Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, or the American Brain Foundation.  Condolences may be expressed at www.WarcoFalvoFuneralHome.com