Betsy Cullum Bolin

Betsy was born in Dallas, Texas, to Dorothy and Bob Cullum, where she declared herself “the Queen of Everything,” ruling over her three younger siblings until leaving for college at age 17. Thereafter, she ruled from exile.

After graduating from the Hockaday School for Girls, Betsy, crown in hand and accompanied by her best friend, Mary Ella, boarded a train for New York to conquer the Big Apple, where they enrolled at Bennet Junior College. Upon realizing their mistake, they made a B-line to Austin, Texas, to enroll at THE University, becoming Longhorn and Kappa sisters for life. It was there that Betsy met and married George Bolin of Houston. The couple left Austin before graduation for the greener pastures of Alice, Texas. After a brief stint in Corpus Christi, they moved to Houston, where they both remained for the rest of their lives.

Houston is where they had four wonderful sons within three years. Years later, Betsy found herself a single mother of four well-behaved teenage boys, who needed very little supervision, which they received. Summers would find her fleeing the imagined chaos to her beach house or to Cuerno Verde Ranch near Waller. She also frequently escaped to Santa Fe, the Texas Hill Country, or Austin, where she dined at her favorite restaurant, Vespaio.

Betsy very much loved her (as previously documented) well-behaved Bolin Boys and their fabulous wives. She got especially excited upon seeing her seven beautiful granddaughters, who called her “Grandma B,” and her one and only great-granddaughter, who hadn’t called her anything yet.

Betsy loved to travel the world, especially by ship. She took many cruises with her mother, her siblings, their spouses, and her tall Sherpa, named Scott. This tradition led to her taking her four boys and their wives on wonderful cruises, too. She often said that she saw everything in the world, except for the Taj Mahal; she never made it there.

Betsy was so proud to be a member of the prodigious and fast-growing Cullum clan of Dallas. Every family has a black sheep but her family had two, and she made sure she was one of them.

She had many overlapping groups of friends in Houston and Dallas - friendships that lasted lifetimes. They included her old guard friends from college, her mahjong group, various lunch groups, and more. Her friendships lasted from the day they met until the day one of them died. She was a member of the Junior League of Houston, the River Oaks Country Club, and Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority.

She loved her Texas Longhorn football teams and the Houston Astros. She spent many a Saturday in October with her boys at the Texas/OU Red River Shootout game, where she sat on the 50-yard line with her parents and the governors of Texas and Oklahoma. Actually, they sat with her. She also loved all things London, the Queen of England, Princess Diana, and all the pomp and pageantry. She wouldn’t give you two British pounds for the rest of the family, though.

Betsy received endless advice from her children and their wives regarding ways to make her life more comfortable or easier. Her reply was always the same: “That’s the worst idea ever.” Days, weeks, or even years could pass before she came up with the exact same idea on her own, declaring it “the best idea ever.” She had a stubborn streak a mile long and a generosity streak twice as long. She loved buying fabulous gifts for others, while gathering even more extravagant gifts for herself. Sometimes an item that she already had two, or twenty of. When she mentioned that she wanted another chair for downstairs, it was pointed out that she could already seat 44 people. This only hardened her resolve to acquire two chairs instead of one. She loved her friends and family and they loved her. She enjoyed having her way - even demanded it. You always knew where you stood with her. She had a wicked sense of humor, right to the end.

Betsy hosted all Thanksgiving and Christmas family gatherings at her beautiful home, where she insisted on full formal place settings and place cards with seating charts that she deliberately, even deviously, set herself. She expected a certain etiquette, which usually meant her speaking and everyone else listening. She could win an argument by sheer force. She could just as easily give you the look of approval as the look of disapproval. Some feared her. All loved her.

Betsy was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Baby Sally; her parents, Bob and Dorothy Cullum; her nephew, Rogers Cullum; and the father of the Bolin Boys, George Bolin. She is survived by her sons, Brooks and his wife Julie, Scott and his wife Judy, Kyle and his wife Kristin, and Kelly and his wife Charner; granddaughters, Annalisa, Veronica, Cullum, Mabry and her husband Cole Mueller, Madaline, Stella, and Piper; and one and only great-granddaughter, Carlotta Mueller. She is survived by her sister, Sally and husband Houston, Brother Dan and wife Karen, Brother Brooks and wife Lucky, and a large contingent of nieces, nephews, their spouses, children and grandchildren. She is survived by her Goddaughter, Claire Dewar, and Godson, Frank Baker.

The family wishes to offer special thanks to the following people: Betsy’s favorite doctor, Elizabeth Boehme, for keeping her motor running all these years; her longtime housekeeper Clara for keeping the house under control amid an onslaught of incoming treasures; and her loving caregivers, Olga, Anastasia, Evelyn, and Rosa, for caring for her every need and getting her wherever she demanded to go. The family also wishes to thank Houston Hospice for their care when needed most.

The memorial service is to be conducted at eleven o’clock in the morning on Thursday, the 11th of January, in the Sanctuary of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 3471 Westheimer Road in Houston.

Immediately following the service, all are invited to greet the family and share remembrances of Betsy during a reception at a venue to be announced during the service.

Prior to the service, the family will gather for a private interment at Glenwood Cemetery in Houston, where Betsy will be laid to rest next to Baby Sally.

For those unable to attend the service, virtual attendance may be accessed by visiting her online memorial at GeoHLewis.com and selecting the "Join Livestream" icon in the “Services” section. While there you may also share fond memories and words of comfort and condolence with her family by selecting the “Add a Memory” icon.

In lieu of customary remembrances, the family requests with gratitude that memorial contributions in her name be directed to Houston Hospice, 1905 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX, 77030-4123; or to the charity of one’s choice.

The Queen is already greatly missed.