Obituary of Elizabeth Collins Bonsignore

Elmira:  Age 92, passed away on Monday, March 13, 2023 at the Penn Yan Manor Nursing Home, Penn Yan, NY.  Betty was born and raised in Elmira, the daughter of the Elizabeth Maxcy Collins and Frank B. Collins.  She was the widow of Vernando J. Bonsignore and the mother of their three children; daughter Elizabeth “Betsy” Bonsignore, and son-in-law F. Charles Burch, of Gillett, PA; son William “Bill” Bonsignore, and daughter-in-law Holly, of Chapel Hill, NC; daughter Rebecca “Becky” Bonsignore, and son-in-law Steve Bellows, of Watkins Glen, NY; brother F. Maxcy Collins, and his wife Judy, of Irvine, CA; brother-in-law Francis N. Bonsignore, and his wife Susan, of Scarsdale, NY; beloved grandchildren, Sylvan Bonsignore Burch (Laura) and Nicholas Bellows Bonsignore; great grandchildren Alice and Margaret Burch and several beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, and very dear, long-time friends. 

Growing up in Elmira, Betty graduated from St. Patrick’s Grammar School; E.F.A. Class of 1948 and Jean Summers Business School.  She was retired from Chemung Canal Trust Co. where she was one of the first employees to occupy an office in the W. Church St. Branch when it opened in 1951.  Betty loved to travel, especially to the Caribbean, California, and Hawaii – wherever there was sun, sand, and sea.  In her retirement, she took special interest in the business and events in the Town of Elmira.  

There will be no calling hours.  A private burial, with committal prayers, will occur on Saint Patrick’s Day at St. Peter and Paul’s Cemetery. 

Friends and family are invited to a Memorial Mass of Christian Burial celebrated by Fr. Richard Farrell at St. Patrick’s Church, 604 Park Place, Elmira, on Saturday, March 18, 2023 at 1:00 PM.

Those wishing to remember Betty may do so through a donation to the Vernando J. Bonsignore Fund for Justice in Family Law and Child Support administered by the Community Foundation of the Elmira, Corning and Finger Lakes, Inc. 301 S. Main Street, Horseheads, NY 14845.