Betty Parente’s friends and relatives gathered together during the dedication ceremony. Friends and relatives of Betty Parente and her daughters Stephanie and Catherine solemnly gathered on September 12th to dedicate a tree planted in their memory in front of the Garden City Public Library.

“May this symbol of life continually remind us of the beautiful lives these three women lived,” said Marianne E. Quinn, one of Betty’s best friends, at the dedication ceremony.

On April 19, William Parente of Garden City killed his wife Betty and daughters Stephanie and Catherine in a hotel room in Towson, Maryland. He took his own life hours later.

Betty was blessed with many friends, but had established a particularly close bond with a group of ladies who met monthly to play the dice game Bunko. The group decided that in lieu of flowers at the funeral of Betty and her girls, they would instead work to get a tree planted in their memory. Laura Ahrem was instrumental in securing the proper permission with the Village, collecting money and ordering the tree and plaque. The memorial was made possible due to the financial generosity of many friends, according to Quinn.

The tree and plaque The plaque reads: In Memory of Betty, Stephanie, and Catherine Parente “All Good Things To You” Your Loving Friends 2009. Betty was known for often wishing others well with that phrase.

Marianne E. Quinn, one of Betty’s best friends, spoke during the ceremony. The plaque was unveiled and tree dedicated the morning of September 12, which is the Feast of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who Betty adored and prayed to frequently. “I continue to pray for strength and peace,” Quinn said. “I wish for a peace based on justice, a peace that respects the fundamental human rights of all peoples.”