Betty Jane Pucci

Betty Jane Edgren Pucci passed away on March 5, 2014. Betty Jane was born in Muskegon, Michigan. She attended school at Muskegon High School where she was a scholar and a member of the track team. Betty Jane also worked as a secretary to managers at Sealed Power in Muskegon. She was a member of Beta Sigma Phi, an International women's social, cultural and service organization.

Betty Jane’s real passion, though, was music and theater.

In their teens, Betty Jane and her sisters, LaVerne and Esther, performed as a girl trio with their mother as their piano accompanist. With her mother’s help, Betty Jane was a self-taught pianist. She sang and performed in high school productions. As an adult, Betty Jane was involved with the Muskegon Civic Opera.

During World War II, Betty Jane was a USO volunteer in Muskegon where she met her husband, Leonard, who was a Navy midshipman. Betty Jane and Len were married in 1947. They settled in Michigan and had their three children there before moving to Long Island, New York for Len’s work at GTE.

On Long Island, Betty Jane worked for the school systems in Greenlawn and Brentwood school districts. She continued her love of music as a church pianist, organist and vocalist. She also played piano for many schools, shows and concerts. She cultivated her love of Broadway musicals on many trips into NYC.

In 1969, Betty Jane and her family relocated to sunny Clearwater. Leonard worked for GTE and Betty Jane immediately began singing with the City of Clearwater’s Community Chorus. Betty Jane eventually became accompanist and occasional director of the Community Chorus.

Betty Jane also worked for Pinellas County Commissioner Pat Iley. She was responsible for the name of Pinellas County “Heritage Park” which was started during her tenure at the Commission (and was later named Heritage Village). Betty Jane, her husband and daughter, Patrice, were very involved with Pinellas County’s Bicentennial Committee in 1976.

When the Clearwater Community Chorus began doing musical plays, the City of Clearwater spun off the City Players theatre group and hired Betty Jane as its Music Specialist. Betty Jane worked for the City of Clearwater for 30 years as Music Director and Director of the City Players. During that time, she also performed with, accompanied, co-directed, directed, co-founded, founded and nurtured various groups including Suncoast Singers, The Little Group and Kids-a-Poppin’

.

Betty Jane founded the Theatre Alliance as a vehicle for Pinellas/Pasco County community theatres to work together and share resources.

Betty Jane continued as Director of the City Players even after she left the employ of the City of Clearwater. She then founded the female performing group, the Divas. When the City Players separated from the City of Clearwater in 2005, Betty Jane and her daughter, Patrice, served on City Players’ Board of Directors. Betty Jane retired from directing but remained on the City Players’ Board until 2013.

Betty Jane is survived by her husband of 67 years, Ret. Navy Commander Gino Leonard; her son, James; daughters Cheryl and Patrice; sister Esther Lee; and brother Art Edgren.

Services to celebrate Betty Jane’s life will be held on Wed., March 12, 2014 at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, 1955 S. Belcher Rd., Clearwater, FL 33764, at 10:00 am.

Anyone who may wish to make a memorial donation of some kind, please consider City Players, Inc. c/o Sam McClelland, 715 N. Highland Ave., Clearwater, FL 33755. Betty Jane devoted over 40 years of her working life to City Players and she would be very proud if she could help the organization in this way.

Friends and family may sign the guest book at www.mossfeasterclearwater.com