Our beloved mother, Emily Janet Bootier, passed away on January 21, 2022.  She was born on August 10, 1928 to parents John and Mary Dzedzej in New York Mills, New  York.  The youngest of five children, she was the only member of her family to attend college and it was while she was enrolled at SUNY Oswego, New York that she met the love of her life, Richard Bootier.  They married in 1947 and she left school to become a wife and mother in Middletown, New York where Richard had a teaching position at Middletown High School.  They became the proud parents of three daughters, Nancy in 1948, Cheryl in 1950 and Susan in 1956, but by 1960 Emily was ready to complete her degree in Elementary Education, and did so at SUNY New Paltz, New York, where she graduated in 1962.  Her first teaching assignment was in Goshen, New York at Scotchtown Avenue Elementary School teaching second grade.  She loved teaching at this school and remained until she retired in 1985, but not before earning her Master's Degree and taking over as the Reading Specialist for the entire school.  As her daughters matured, Emily began taking up a sport her husband loved, golf.  While she and Richard were still working, they because members of Orange County Golf Club and enjoyed playing there as well as at other golf clubs in the area.  Later on, golf became the focal point of many vacation destinations and ultimately resulted in the purchase of a home located on Placid Lakes Golf Course in Lake Placid, Florida in 1985.  It became their permanent residence in 1993.  They enjoyed the early years of their retirement making new friends and playing golf until Richard was diagnosed with Neuropathy and proceeded to spiral downhill until he had to be placed in a nursing home, finally dying in 2012.  Her heroic dedication to him throughout this period was remarkable.  Those are the facts, but they only  hint at who our mother really was.  First of all, she was beautiful and she always epitomized the word, "lady", both in her attire and demeanor.  She was brave.  She loved learning, believed in the value of education and enjoyed music, singing, word games and Bridge.  Add to that a lifelong dedication to reading and a loving respect for animals of all kinds.  Our mother was part of the "Greatest Generation", meaning that the concepts of family, tradition, hard work, sacrifice, respect and national pride were the building blocks of our upbringing.  she wasn't perfect, had no sense of direction, could be stubborn and opinionated but, in the big important things, she was pretty close to it.  We will miss you mom.  Godspeed. Funeral Mass to be said on Tuesday, February 15 at 12 noon at St. James Catholic Church, 3380 Placid View Drive, Lake Placid, FL  33852 (phone-863-465-3215)