Elizabeth “Betsy” Watkins McHale

Elizabeth “Betsy” Watkins McHale, 80, passed away on October 5, 2026, at North Oaks Hospital in Hammond, Louisiana, after a brief illness. A devoted nurse, mother, and grandmother, Betsy spent much of her life caring for others.

Born on September 10, 1946, in Richmond, Virginia, Betsy was the only child of C. Gilliam and Mabel Watkins. She graduated from Madison College, now James Madison University, in 1968. She met Edward “Ed” McHale at a festival near Pittsburgh, and they married in 1971, making their first home in the Steel City. Ed’s work as a newsman with the Associated Press eventually brought the family to Metairie, Louisiana, in 1979. Betsy and Ed shared 35 years of marriage until his passing in 2007.

In Louisiana, Betsy found her calling in nursing. After graduating in 1987 from New Orleans’ Charity Hospital School of Nursing, she devoted nearly two decades to pediatric nursing at Charity, caring for many of the city’s children. Her dedication was never clearer than during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. As floodwaters surrounded the hospital, she remained with her patients for days and was among the last nurses evacuated, leaving by boat.

At home, Betsy was happiest in the kitchen, cooking Southern and New Orleans dishes for family and friends, often from recipes clipped from the pages of The Times-Picayune. She loved to travel, especially to Ireland and throughout Europe. She was a faithful member of and volunteer at Grace Memorial Episcopal Church in Hammond. Her smile, however, was brightest when she was spending time with her four grandchildren.

Betsy was preceded in death by her parents, Gilliam and Mabel Watkins; her loving husband, Ed McHale; and her son, Patrick Temple McHale. She is survived by her son, Martin McHale, and his wife, Melissa, of Midland, Texas; her daughter, India Menon, and her husband, Arvind, of Greenville, South Carolina; and her grandchildren, Lillian McHale, Patrick McHale, Ram Menon, and Alexa Menon. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at a later date in Hammond.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Grace Memorial Episcopal Church, 100 West Church Street, Hammond, LA 70401.