Elizabeth "Betty" Ann Bunce

On the night of August 30 and 31, Kingston lost one of its brightest lights. Betty Bunce, born May 23, 1939, came into the world in Kingston, NY, and spent her life lifting others through movement, music, and the quiet power of her spirit.

Her childhood began on 3rd Avenue, surrounded by her parents, Henry Bunce and Catherine Carro Bunce, her grandparents Henry and Mary Lansing Bunce, and her young uncle John Bunce. Later she moved to her grandmother’s home on Fox Hall Avenue with her brother, Henry “Sonny” Bunce. These early years were filled with family, curiosity, and the first sparks of the artistic life she would one day share with so many.

Betty’s mother worked at Kingston’s Grand Movie Palace and Vaudeville Stage House on Broadway, a place that later became the Community Theatre and eventually UPAC. Betty spent countless hours backstage, watching dancers rehearse under warm lights and velvet curtains. She copied their movements on the lawn at Fox Hall Avenue, cartwheels and walkovers that hinted at the talent waiting to bloom.

One day, dance teacher Helen Cashin saw Betty practicing and recognized something rare. She encouraged Catherine to bring Betty to her studio, and when money was tight, Helen made sure Betty could attend. She later arranged for Betty to travel to New York City on Saturdays to train with Joe Price, a gift that shaped the rest of her life. Betty and her dance partner, Kathleen Meme, performed on television and remained close friends for many years. Her uncle John built her first balance beams, and cousins Mark Bunce, Elise Bunce Trini, and Rickie Shultis were always nearby to cheer her on.

The Betty Bunce School of Dance became part of Kingston’s cultural memory. Her name appears again and again in Kingston High School yearbooks from the 1960s through the 1980s, where students proudly listed her studio as their defining activity. Her influence reached far beyond the classroom, shaping the artistic life of the Hudson Valley for decades.

On June 28, 1959, Betty married James Uhl Jr. at St. Peter’s Church in Kingston. They welcomed two sons, James Uhl III and Steven Uhl. During these years she opened her first dance school while working at Hercules Powder Co. After their divorce, she married James Garrison in 1964 and had two more children, Linda and Christopher Garrison.

Through the late 1960s and 1970s, Betty’s schools grew to include Kingston, Woodstock, and Saugerties. She taught children across the Hudson Valley, guiding them with patience, discipline, and joy. Her love of gymnastics grew alongside her dance programs. She passed her equipment to her son Steven, who founded Steve Uhl Gymnastics in 1982, later known as Gym Stars Gymnastics. In time, Gym Stars was carried forward by her sons and eventually by Gerardo Sura and his daughter Sabrina, who continue the legacy Betty began. Together, Betty and her sons produced many champions at the local, state, and national levels.

Betty loved Woodstock, where she lived for many years, and she loved Kingston, where her story began. Her family roots run deep in New York State. The Lansing family arrived in 1640, and her grandmother Mary Lansing Bunce, born in 1894, was the daughter of Robert Lansing. Her ancestry includes Dr. Obadiah Lansing, a captain and physician during the American Revolution, and Maria du Trieux, who arrived in New Amsterdam in 1624 with the first group of settler families.

Betty’s drive carried her through every chapter of her life. She explored dance, gymnastics, and the art of teaching with a devotion that inspired her children and shaped her community. She loved the children she taught, and she was grateful for every life that touched hers.

She will be missed by countless friends, students, and families whose paths she brightened. Her legacy lives on in every dancer who learned to leap, every gymnast who found balance, and every child who discovered confidence under her guidance. She is survived by 4 children, 10 grandchildren, and 18 great-grandchildren.

May God bless her until we are all together again.