Elizabeth "Betty" Karrat

Elizabeth (Betty) Karrat, 80 of Whitesboro, N.Y., passed away after courageously battling a long illness on Saturday, December 13, 2025.

She was born in Utica, NY on January 14, 1945, a daughter of the late Timohty and Josephine Giryafey Williams and was educated in local schools.

On January 6, 1964, she was Married to Nazih (Nick) Karrat, and for the better part of 57 years they enjoyed a beautiful, loving, and devoted life together until his passing on November 24, 2021.

Throughout her professional and volunteer life, Betty never lost sight of her true devotion as a wife, mother, sister, aunt, friend, and most especially a grandmother – a station in life she most coveted. Her four grandchildren were and are the jewels in her crown. Betty always placed dedication to family and Church as her moral compass. A gracious, kind, and generous host, Betty’s (and Nazih’s) home was the venue for countless social functions for family and friends, always with an abundance of exceptional food and the warmest embracing hospitality.

But Betty’s seemingly boundless energy did not end there. For decades, she worked in in various managerial positions at Sears Roebuck & Company. In most recent years, she was a volunteer at the Wynn Hospital, a role she thoroughly enjoyed, and was inspired to do from her early days as a Candy Striper at local area hospitals during her teenage years.

Among her crowning achievements in life were the many and varied roles she played in support of her beloved Saint Louis Gonzaga Maronite Church. Driven by her deep faith, and with a reverence for both the spiritual an cultural communities of Saint Louis, Betty played a vital role in virtually every aspect of programs, activities and events that are the centerpieces of the Church’s community. She was a faithful member of St. Mary’s Guild, a women’s auxiliary that host a variety of programs, and often provided financial support to the Church, and served a number of terms as its President.

Among her proudest accomplishments – those for which she is widely admired and celebrated – were her roles chairing the Church’s two largest fundraising events on an annual basis. The Taste of Lebanon (TOL), an annual summer festival celebrating the food an culture of Lebanon, drawing thousands of visitors, the Church’s largest single event, owe’s its reputation and success to the incredible drive, determination, planning, and volunteer recruitment to Betty and her inspired leadership. Not to be undone, Betty lent her exceptional organization and leadership skills to the now celebrated Festival of Baskets – an annual event which generates significant income for the Church.

In September of 2022, the Parish Council bestowed upon Betty its first-ever Distinguished Service Award for her remarkable leadership as one of the Church’s most important and respected volunteers. It was at that ceremony that the annual award was renamed the “Nazih & Betty Karrat Distinguished Service Award,” to be awarded annually to an individual who best exemplifies the highest commitment to faith and community as demonstrated by Nazih and Betty in their lifetimes.

Betty is survived by an adoring family including her son Robert, his wife Mary, and their sons Spencer and Austin; son Nicholas, his wife Debra, and their children Sofia and Preston; two loving sisters Rosalie Boff and Marguerite Black; her in-laws Mona Sageer, Theresa Chamoun, Elias, Joe, William (Cathy) and Charbel (Beth) Karrat, and scores of nieces, nephews, and an extraordinary array of loyal and caring friends.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend her funeral Mass, the Divine Liturgy of the Faithful Departed, celebrated by Abouna Boutros El Hachem at Saint Louis Gonzaga Church, 520 Rutger St., Utica, this Friday, December 19, 2025, at 11:00 A.M.

Private interment will be in St. Joseph Cemetery, Utica.

Online sympathy www.scalaroefaro.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Louis Gonzaga Church in memory of Betty.

Funeral arrangements are by The Scala, Roefaro & Karboski Funeral Home 1122 Culver Ave. Utica.