Betty H. grew up in a small town in Western PA right outside of Johnstown with her Mom Ethel, Father Robert and two younger brothers Bob and Bill. She left Johnstown when she was 18 years old to pursue an education to become a nurse. She attended school at the University of Pittsburg where she received her Registered Nurse (RN) certification. While she was going to school she worked for the Buick car company in the drafting room were tanks were being built for the war.
Once she received her RN degree she worked at a public health hospital in Norfolk VA where she met her husband, James who had been a patient! They married and had two children, Karen and James Jr. James was a coast guardsmen and due to the nature of his profession they lived in Puerto Rico for 4 years. Betty has a fond love for cats but while they were in Puerto Rico they adopted a feral dog which they brought back to the US who they named Poochie. Upon their return to the US, Betty took a nursing job at Portsmouth General Hospital on the surgical floor, where she worked until she retired.
Today Betty enjoys spending time reading and tending to the beautiful plants in her apartment. She also enjoys going on outings to see classical music performers as she is a self-taught clarinet player. Betty loves to bake with one of her specialties called the “Hummingbird Cake”. When asked if she could live anywhere in the world where would she choose, Betty simply said “Kensington Park because my daughter is close by, I am surrounded by my friends, and I love the service here.” Betty has served as the 3rd floor ambassador at Kensington Park for the last 3 years and we look for many more to come.
