Anonymous
We were Betty's next door neighbors for the last 16 years....close neighbors, as only our two driveways separated us. Living that close to a neighbor can either be a very good thing or very bad thing. In this case it was certainly very good and over those 16 years we became not only good friends, but extended family to each other. It was not uncommon for Betty to be waiting up for us when we had been out of town, leaving the porch and garage light on so we could find our way into the house. We did the same for her and each became concerned for the other when the roads were especially bad. We will miss that light.
Most of you know that Betty suffered a great deal during her final hours. What you probably don't know is that Betty suffered a lot of pain for the entire 16 years we knew her. You see, Betty was an ardent Cubs, Tigers, Lions, and most of all an MSU fan. Any one of those teams provided enough pain and suffering for her, let alone all four. We could always tell when things were going especially bad with one team or another. We would see her leave and walk around the block when the pressure became to high. Other times she would lower the Michigan State flag to 1/2 mast after a particularly poor performance. We worried most about her when MSU played a late game so I made it a practice to call and check on her to make sure she was ok. I could look out the window and see that the light was on and then call her. One night, after a horrible performance, I called her. She answered right away, but there was a moment of silence. Then she said, "Bob, If I'd had a rope I would have hung myself!"... but I'm OK. My favorite call, and one I will never forget, came after a spectacular victory... It was late, after 11pm, the light was on, so I called. Betty answered by singing the MSU fight song. We love you Betty and you will be missed.##imported-begin##Bob and Toni Clive##imported-end##