Obituary: Betty Umbel
Betty Umbel, a longtime Portland resident who built a life spanning the East Coast from Norfolk, Virginia, to Long Island and finally to Maine, died Aug. 6, 2026, at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House. She was 95.
Born Dec. 2, 1930, in Norfolk to William A. Huey and Mabel Consolvo Huey, Umbel was an only child raised during the Depression but grew up immersed in a sprawling extended family as the daughter of the eldest of 13 siblings. She was a sixth-generation American and attended Granby High School, where she sang in the Comet Chorus and learned to tap dance.
In 1949, she married Lt. j.g. Richard "Dick" Umbel in Norfolk, where he was stationed in the Navy. The couple raised four children and spent years moving with Dick's naval career before eventually settling in Bay Shore, N.Y., after his retirement. Umbel worked as a real estate broker on Long Island and also owned an antique store. After Dick's retirement from the Navy, the couple moved first to Marshall, Va., to be closer to family, and then to Portland in 1998 for the same reason. Together, they traveled extensively through the United States, Europe and South America.
Umbel was a Master Gardener and a past president of the Longfellow Garden Club. She volunteered with the Longfellow Garden and the YMCA, and her love of gardens — large and small — remained a constant thread throughout her life.
Those who knew her described her as strong and independent, with firm convictions, a sharp sense of humor and a biting wit. She had a remarkable memory and was known as a gifted storyteller who rarely held back her opinions. Behind that sometimes formidable exterior, family members said, was a deep kindness and a caring spirit. She enjoyed theater, music, mysteries, biographies and history, was a nightly viewer of "Jeopardy!" and liked attending shows at her son Bill's music venues. A lifelong Democrat, she once described her life as "an extraordinary, ordinary life."
Umbel is survived by her children, Richard Jr. (Ruth) of Marshall, Va., Linda Umbel of Portland, Marjorie Fricano (Glenn) of Islip, N.Y., and Bill Umbel (Jeanne Hulit) of Falmouth; her grandchildren, Montana Raynor, Dakota Umbel, Grant Gerber, Devin Fricano, Marenn Cole and Tim Fricano; and seven great-grandchildren.
She was predeceased by her husband, Richard Sr.; granddaughter Brooke Umbel; great-grandson Ian Fricano; and her beloved Aunt Betty Consolvo, who was like a sister to her.
Friends and family are invited to a time of visitation on Thursday, Sept. 17, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Jones, Rich and Barnes Funeral Home in Portland. A private burial will be held Friday, Sept. 18, at Evergreen Cemetery.
The family expressed gratitude for the care Umbel received during the final six months of her life at the Osher Inn at the Cedars in Portland, where she formed new friendships and reconnected with old ones.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Umbel's memory to Preble Street or the Portland Public Library. Condolences and memories may be shared online at jonesrichandbarnes.com.
