中文事工

Elizabeth Munn (Betsy) Hoover

 

Elizabeth Munn (Betsy) Hoover (born Laura Elizabeth Munn) passed away on May 25, 2021 in Altadena, CA, one month short of her 93rd birthday. She is survived by her daughter Barbara, her son Richard (Nancy), grandsons Stephen (Ellie) and Christopher (Kylie), and great-grandsons Jack and Hank. She is preceded in death by the love of her life, her husband and partner of 66 years, Lloyd.

 

Betsy was born in Springfield, MA in 1928 to Ralph and Bessie Munn. She grew up in Springfield and graduated from Classical High School. After graduation, she attended Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA, where she earned a degree in biology, with a minor in music in 1950.

 

Also in 1950 she married Lloyd, a Naval Aviator, and over the next 29 years, the Navy moved Betsy and Lloyd 21 times. Betsy never allowed these moves to get in the way of her love of family, her music, her garden or her volunteering.

 

In 1979 Lloyd retired from the Navy and Betsy and Lloyd moved to Altadena and began the next chapter in their life, during which Betsy continued her love affair with music, singing and supporting the music arts in the LA area. Betsy and Lloyd were season ticket holders of the Los Angeles Opera, and loved going to operas together, something they were never able to do during their Navy years. Betsy was also a member of the Pasadena Opera Guild, helping to lead the Guild’s program supporting young singers.

 

Betsy was a longtime member of the congregation of the Church of Our Saviour in San Gabriel, CA. For 20 years Betsy enjoyed her work as a member of the Altar Guild, and treasured her friendships with members of the guild.

 

Betsy continued her commitment to helping others through her volunteer work at the Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, amassing nearly 10,000 hours as a volunteer with the Altadena Guild, serving in various leadership positions over the years. She took great pride in the role that the Guild played in supporting the establishment of the new HMRI building in Pasadena. She was also known for the wonderful cardamom braided coffee bread she baked in support of the HMRI’s annual fund raising events.

 

Betsy enjoyed being a part of the “Lunch Bunch,” a group of LA-area Mount Holyoke graduates that met monthly to enjoy each other’s company and share stories and good food – frequently at the Altadena Town and Country Club.

 

Betsy loved her family; even during the challenging pandemic time, she stayed actively in touch with her family around the country, and not even the pandemic could prevent ‘GiGi ’ (her “great-grandmother name”) from greeting her second great-grandson via Facetime.

 

When she was at home, Betsy loved her garden. Roses and other flowers bloomed everywhere. Delicious oranges grew in the front yard, and lemons in the back. All types of birds enjoyed her feeders, but her favorites were always her beloved hummingbirds.

 

Betsy made friends and touched people’s lives wherever she went. Betsy made a difference in the lives of many people, and through them she will live on. She helped make the world a better place, and she will be missed.

 

A Memorial Service to celebrate her life will be held outdoors & virtually on June 26th at the Church of Our Saviour in San Gabriel, CA at 11:00 a.m. Memorial donations may be made in Betsy’s name to the Huntington Medical Research Institutes (HMRI) of Pasadena, CA (http://hmri.org/) or to a charity of your choice.

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