If this could be written in calligraphy, it would suit Betty Wright well. A decades long lover of the arts, Betty’s home is lovingly and proudly filled with her works. She started taking classes in the 1980’s in oil painting, water color, life drawing, and calligraphy. She sold her work at shows at Glendale Mall and did professional calligraphy for Phi Sigma Kappa until 1984. She just recently finished a small project for herself, just to prove she was still up to the task.
Born in 1925 in Bono, Indiana, the third of four girls, Betty moved to Tunnelton via horse and wagon when she was six months old. She moved to Indianapolis when she was 18 and worked for Hargis Truck Line as a billing clerk. She moved back home for 1 1/2 years when she got the shingles and then returned to Indianapolis and worked for Naval Avionics. She and Marvin, whom she’d known all her life, married in 1946.
Marvin, who passed away in 2000, and Betty had three children; Marsha, who died of cancer in 2017, Jayne, and Ken. She has three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren and is especially fond of her youngest, three-year-old Grace.
Betty loved being a homemaker and didn’t return to work until Marsha started college. Then she helped with college expenses by becoming an Avon lady, which she did for 10 years. She really enjoyed the friendliness of her clients and was “deeter-minded” (determined) to never be pushy.
Some of Betty’s fondest memories are of traveling with her husband and her sister Dottie and her husband Max. They had many adventures traveling to Colorado, Yellowstone, The Grand Tetons, Jordan, Israel, Greece, and some eastern states, as well as Hawaii.
Today Betty takes pleasure in living independently. She gets plenty of support from her son and daughter and a few neighbors. She’s an avid reader, plays Words with Friends, enjoys visitors (especially little Grace) and talks with her 98- year-old sister, who also lives on her own, every night!
P.S. I’ve been visiting Betty for quite a few years. She’s a very dear friend!
