Anna Elizabeth Sestrap, Betsy, longtime Vashon resident

and entrepreneur, passed away on September 22, 2012. She

was 90 years old.

Betsy was born Anna Elizabeth Wax in Kent, Washington on May 20, 1922. She grew up with her parents August and Johanna Wax on what is now known as Wax Road in Kent where they raised chickens on the largest chicken ranch in the Pacific Northwest at the time. She graduated from Kent High school and went on to study at Washington State University, where she took naturally to the study of botany, easily learning the Latin names for any plant she ran across, a skill which would serve her well in one of her future endeavors.

In 1930, the family began the process of moving to Vashon Island by purchasing land known as the badlands on what is now Wax Orchard Road. After the land was cleared, they planted pie cherries and eventually grew not only pie cherries but peaches, currants and apples on the farm known as Wax Orchards. Betsy learned her business skills working on those family farms.

In 1946, Betsy and the family travelled to a small community in Alberta, Canada to visit with their fellow Estonians. There she met a handsome young bachelor, Robert Sestrap and began a courtship by mail. They were married a year later in 1947 in the new farmhouse on Vashon Island. They settled on his grain and cattle ranch in Alberta where they remained for 3 years, while commuting back and forth between farms as the seasons meshed.

In 1951 they moved to Vashon permanently, handing over the care of their Canadian farm to his family there. Later that year her Father passed away and they took over the running of the Vashon farm along with her mother, Johanna. As with most farming, a second job is needed so in 1953 they began raising nursery stock and opened a nursery. Here Betsy’s natural ability with botany came to the fore and a latent design talent appeared in the form of landscaping, which they did through most of the 60’s.

Meanwhile the farming went on. Cherries and currents were picked and processed in their new processing plant under Betsy’s watchful eye. Many island youth worked at this summer activity. Later, after a hailstorm damaged an entire apple crop ready for market, apples were processed into cider there. Betsy developed new juice blends to expand the line and they were sold all over Seattle. Ever the marketer, in 1980 Betsy co-authored The Cider Book with Lila Gault to introduce people to cooking with cider.

Faced with an overabundance of by product, apple pulp, she developed the recipe for Apple Butter sweetened with fruit concentrate, a pioneering step in the preserve industry. Fruit spreads, syrups, and condiments followed, all under the Wax Orchard name. Her most famous recipe, however, was for Fudge Sweet, also sweetened with fruit concentrate. Betsy marketed these products all over the country.

Betsy was a charter member in the Vashon Soroptimist Club, Quartermaster Yacht Club meetings were held in their home and she especially loved the Garden Club after retiring from the business.

She is survived by her children Anna Swain (David), August Sestrap (Brenda), and Kathryn Sestrap: grandchildren Erin Ward (Mark), Hilary Swain, Tyler Swain, and Asta Sternberg (Lars). In addition, her sister Sarah Linda Stanley (John), nieces SueAnna Tucker, Mary Elaine Turner(John), and grandnieces and nephews Erika Tucker, Todd Tucker, David Turner (Amy) and Keren Turner.

Services were held September 29 at the Island Funeral Service Chapel, with internment at Vashon Cemetery.

Donations in her memory may be made to the Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Association, PO Box 723, Vashon, WA 98070.

Paid Obituary.