AMHERST – Betsey Trombly wasn’t much of a sports fan, and she had no qualms admitting it. Still, she was all ears when a friend and colleague in the Brookline school system gushed over the latest victory by the Boston pro sports team that was in season at the time.

“One day she stopped me in the hall, and said, ‘I don’t understand much about it, but I think your Patriots won yesterday, right?’” said Brookline teacher Betsy Black, who related the anecdote that came from teacher Jane Ouellette as part of Sunday’s memorial service for Elizabeth Davis Trombly, the beloved Amherst resident and teacher who died of gunshot wounds in the tragic murder-suicide involving her older son, John Trombly, 35.

Ouellette’s vignette was one of several that Black, who shared an office at Captain Samuel Douglass Academy with Trombly, shared with those who packed the Congregational Church of Amherst Sunday to pay tribute to the 69-year-old woman who grew up in the very same church, teaching Sunday School and being involved with several church groups.

Those present managed a laugh when Black quoted Ouellette as recalling how Trombly tried watching a Boston Bruins game but “couldn’t keep track of that little black thing.”

A social gathering followed the memorial service, which ran slightly more than an hour on a very warm early autumn afternoon. A subsequent burial service at Meadowview Cemetery was private.

Trombly and her son died Sept. 14 at 1 Meadow Lane, Elizabeth Trombly’s home of about 15 years. The bodies of her and her son, who had recently moved in with her, were found the next day by police answering a well-being check at the address.

“Betsey had unconditional love for both her sons,” said the Rev. Richard G. Leavitt, senior pastor of Congregational Church of Amherst. “She tried her best to love them the way God loved her.” Among Trombly’s survivors is her younger son, David Trombly.

Her sons were “her pride and joy,” Leavitt continued. “She was always there for them, even when she didn’t know what to do” to help them when needed.

Trombly’s faith and “love toward all of God’s children” helped her become the highly-respected children’s advocate she was known as, Leavitt continued.

“She was a dedicated Montessori teacher in her early years, then became a reading specialist known for her individual approach,” he said, referring to the priority Trombly was said to place on adjusting her approach to fit the different ways children learn.

“Maybe it was folding an Origami crane, or making flash cards for sight work,” the pastor said. “She was always developing new ideas. Whatever it took to help them succeed.”

But as much time and energy as she devoted to her work teaching children, Trombly knew how to have fun. “She loved card games,” Leavitt told attendees, sharing with them Trombly’s habit of “crying out when things went her way … or didn’t.” And she loved to laugh “when things tickled her fancy,” he said.

While it was “no secret” that new technology often flustered Trombly, said Black, the co-worker at Samuel Douglass Academy, her knowledge of children and teaching methods was without equal.

“Betsey was the go-to person for anything to do with phonics,” Black said. If technology didn’t cooperate with her, Black added, Trombly “could still be found standing at the color copier printing out word cards for teaching games.”

Laurie Toupin, a freelance writer and Brookline resident who knew Trombly, called her “a wonderful, kind soul whose life was devoted to helping the students of our community.”

Toupin, in an article that appeared in Saturday’s Telegraph, echoed some of the sentiments shared by Leavitt on Sunday.

“Everyone struggles to make sense out of these situations and find a solution … “ Toupin wrote. For her, turning to a “higher power … offers a sense of love” that brings comfort.

Andrea Crocker Bruneau, one of Betsey Trombly’s grandnieces, contributed an especially touching portion of Sunday’s service with a solo version of the Mercy Me song “If I Could Just Sit With You Awhile,” which she sang between Leavitt’s homily and Black’s words of remembrance.

In his parting words, Leavitt said Trombly will likely be remembered as “a true gentle soul in the most authentic way.”

Added Black, as she turned to the framed photo of Trombly displayed for all to see, “I wish you a much deserved rest, and peace.”

Dean Shalhoup can be reached at 594-6443 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com. Also follow Shalhoup on Twitter (@Telegraph_DeanS).