The Foreign Service Journal, November 2019

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | NOVEMBER 2019 97 IN MEMORY n Betty Ana Bernstein-Zabza, 60, a retired Foreign Service officer, died on Aug. 3 in a hit-and-run accident in Falls Church, Va. Ms. Bernstein was born onMarch 6, 1959, inMonticello, N.Y., to Gloria and Charles Bernstein. She earned degrees from the State University of New York– Binghamton; the former Antioch Law School inWashington, D.C.; and the National Defense University inWashing- ton, D.C. In 1996 she married Pawel Zabza inWarsaw, Poland. Ms. Bernstein-Zabza served as a For- eign Service officer for the State Depart- ment for 25 years, with postings in Poland, Switzerland, Germany and Israel, as well as Washington, D.C. Though she was tire- less in her commitment to representing the United States abroad, her real passion was her work on gender equality, col- leagues recall. She held senior positions in the Office of Women’s Issues and the Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism. She was a sought-after speaker on issues related to gender equality. Friends and family members recall her sense of humor, compassion for those less fortunate and devotion to family and friends. She is survived by her husband, Pawel Zabza; a son, Thomas Zabza; a step- daughter, Alicja Zabza; her mother, Gloria Bernstein; a brother, Martin Bernstein; and nieces, Claire and Hannah Bernstein. Memorial contributions may be made in her name to a charity of choice working on gender equality or animal welfare. n Astrid Johanne Aarland Drotos, 66, wife of retired Foreign Service Officer John Drotos, died on Aug. 27 in Boston, Mass., after a long struggle with ovarian cancer. Ms. Aarland was born in Bergen, Norway, on Sept. 5, 1952, to Hans Andreas and Johanne Aarland (née Tyssoy). A studious adventurer, she loved learning. She studied politics and government at the University of Bergen, French culture and language at the Sor- bonne, English at Homerton College in Cambridge, U.K., and international law at the University of Leicester. She was fluent in seven languages— her native Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, English, German, French and Russian. Always seeking to know the world, Ms. Aarland served for a year on a Norwegian cruise ship. She worked for the Norwegian government and was deployed to Cambo- dia as a United Nations election observer and to Somalia as a political officer with the U.N. peacekeeping mission. While serving in Somalia, she met and in 1997 married John Drotos, the mission’s security adviser who was on loan from the State Department. She visited Mr. Drotos during his assignments to Zagreb, Croatia and Hanoi and later accompanied him to Kazakh- stan, serving as his interpreter and sup- porting his work as the country director of the U.S. Peace Corps program. Her active participation and develop- ment of social and cultural programs for Peace Corps Volunteers and members of the diplomatic community pushed forward the U.S. government’s foreign policy goals. When they were not traveling, the Drotoses lived in Newport, R.I., where she worked as a guide and staff manager for the Preservation Society of New- port County and, later, for Destination Newport. After Ms. Aarland-Drotos was diag- nosed with ovarian cancer, the couple returned to Norway several times, toured Scotland and visited Canada, Paris, Cambridge, Berlin, Vienna, Budapest, Innsbruck and Liens. On her deathbed, Ms. Aarland-Drotos said that giving away her possessions gave her great joy, knowing that these gifts would make others happy. She leaves behind her husband, John; a brother, Audun; and sisters, Gerd and Malfrid, and their families. n Brendan AndrewHanniffy, 75, a retired Foreign Service officer, passed away on Aug. 2 of respiratory failure in Hendersonville, N.C. Mr. Hanniffy was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and immigrated to the United States in 1947. He graduated from the Air Force Academy and received advanced degrees from the University of West Florida. Serving in the Air Force during the VietnamWar, he received the Distin- guished Flying Cross and Air Medal with four silver oak leaf clusters. He later served in the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard. In 1978 Mr. Hanniffy joined the U.S. Foreign Service. His first posting was as a consular officer on the border inMat- amoros. He then served as an economic officer in London, Mexico City, Guatemala City, Los Angeles andWashington, D.C. He particularly relished serving as civil aviation attaché in London from 1990 to 1994, and as head of the Office of Foreign Missions in Los Angeles from 1994 to 1996. Mr. Hanniffy retired to western North Carolina in 2003. He enjoyed reading history books, collecting coins, traveling and spending time with family, who will remember him for his irreverent sense of humor, incredible breadth of knowledge and fondness for great meals out. He is survived by his wife of nearly 51 years, Carol E. Hanniffy; children Eliza- beth Kroupa (and her husband, Zachary) and AndrewHanniffy; and grandchildren Lucinda, Flora and June.