Elizabeth Margaret (Betty) Cullen, a longtime resident of Wakefield and Chilmark, died peacefully at Melrose-Wakefield Hospital on Sept. 21 after a brief illness. She was 91.

She was born in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia on May 9, 1931, the third child of Sarah McInnes Zsakovits and Charles Zsakovits. The cultural traditions of both sides of her family were important influences in her life. Her father was of Hungarian descent and her mother of Scottish descent.

As a child she enjoyed a comfortable and stable family life until World War II. Her family immigrated to England in 1948 during the Russian occupation because her mother’s British citizenship was restored due to the War Brides Act. Elizabeth was deeply grateful to the United Kingdom for providing a haven for her family but always felt keenly the loss of her country of birth. Up to the end of her life, she shared with her family cherished memories of the food, music, language, crafts and holiday traditions of her childhood.

In London, she worked at MGM Film Rental. She eventually attended Westminster College of Commerce and Marlborough Gate Secretarial College where she learned shorthand, typing and other secretarial skills. Subsequently, she was employed by British Reinforced Engineering Company and then by Crosse & Blackwell.

At a dance in London, Elizabeth met her future husband and the love of her life, Seamus Francis Cullen, a charismatic and entrepreneurial Irishman from county Galway who was newly demobilized by the British army. In 1956 they emigrated from London to Toronto, where they were married. Though they came from completely different backgrounds, theirs was a true and enduring love match.

In Toronto she worked as a stenographer at the Bank of Nova Scotia until the birth of her first child. She retired to become a full-time mother. In 1961, the young family moved to New Hampshire to stay with Elizabeth’s maternal uncle. Seamus commuted to work in Massachusetts. They eventually settled in Wakefield, where they raised their four children.

She loved being a wife and mother and especially cherished family outings on the weekends. During these years, she was a member of the women’s open circle at the Congregational Church and volunteered as a driver for FISH. She was passionate about good food, especially shellfish and dark chocolate, baked bread weekly and enjoyed trying out recipes she found in the local newspaper.

In the late 1960s, the family visited Martha’s Vineyard for the first time, camping at Webb’s Campground. The family loved the Vineyard so much that Island visits became the highlight of summer vacations.

In the early 1980s Elizabeth and Seamus built a home in Menemsha. There they enjoyed many happy summers with family and Island friends.

In all the places she lived, but especially on the Vineyard, she felt a deep connection to nature. She loved taking walks on the beach and in the Menemsha Hills, watching the birds and tending her garden.

Seamus died in 1994 after a long illness. Elizabeth continued to divide her time between Wakefield and the Vineyard. She relished time with her children and grandchildren but never stopped missing the love of her life.

Elizabeth is survived by her children and their families; Moira Cullen and her children Ryan, Brendan and Colin Martin; Alison Cullen, Chris Bretherton and their children Ross and Kyle Bretherton; Sarah Cullen-Laux, Stefan Laux and their children Kevin, Fiona and Linnea Laux; Brian Cullen, Dani Coleman and their children Oona Cullen and Miles Coleman.

She was interred privately at Abel’s Hill Cemetery on Oct. 15.

Memorial donations may be made to Doctors Without Borders at doctorswithoutborders.org.