Betty was born at home in the De Mun area of Clayton, MO, and teased she never went far from home as she lived only a few miles away in the City of St. Louis as an adult. She did, however, travel far and touched many of our lives deeply.
Her mother died when Betty was a teen but Betty had vivid memories of her. She had a great respect and affinity for her father and was proud of his intellect and inventions.
She spent many summers in Colorado and told stories of horse packing through the mountains with a friend. A storm (a bear?) scared their horses in the night and the two young women had to walk back down the mountain.
She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis and received a Master’s Degree in English Literature from the University of Colorado. Betty was beautifully educated and continued to learn voraciously throughout her life. She often had a red pen with her, helped us all with grammar and punctuation and could answer almost any question we asked.
Betty was most proud of her time running Miss Hickey's School for Girls and had the most fun as Executive Director of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region for 17 years.
She was on the board of the Delta Gamma Center for Children with Visual Impairments and ran the yearly poetry contest for the Wednesday Club in St. Louis. She served on the board of Reproductive Health Services and the advisory committee of Care & Counseling Inc. She received the Reproductive Freedom Award in 1990, given by the local Freedom of Choice Council. Betty volunteered to speak English with recent Chinese immigrants and felt she learned more than they did. Betty recycled with fervor until her car was stolen several months ago as she was placing things into a recycling bin.
Never one to be left behind, Betty welcomed computer technology into her life. She was always up to date on the latest news from a plethora of websites and Blogs from around the world, stayed in e-mail contact with friends and family, and had recently updated to high speed internet access at home.
Gracious and elegant to the core, her wit and knowledge will forever be a part of those who loved her.
However will we manage without Betty?
