Bettina Maria Lord

Bettina Maria Lord of San Francisco died at home peacefully on the evening of October 10th, 2022. She was 79. She was born March 24th, 1943 in Hamburg, Germany to Ernst and Charlotte (Haaselau) Schumacher. The following week they fled Hamburg as the city imploded during the incendiary bombing campaign by the Allied Forces and remained in a shelter in Dösemoor while her father spent seven years in a Siberian labor camp. Once reunited with his family in Hamburg her father was determined to immigrate to America. Crossing the North Atlantic in the winter of 1954 they spent their first three years in Saint Johns, Newfoundland. Employment was scarce and eventually the three together relocated to Toronto, Ontario. After five years in Canada they relocated to Richmond, Virginia, and then inevitably landed in her father's ultimate destination of New York City in 1959.

After graduating from Jamaica High School in Queens, New York she began her career with Chase Manhattan Bank on 55 Water Street in Lower Manhattan as a Messenger. Simultaneously attending Queens College at the City University of New York she quickly advanced to Operations at One New York Plaza and eventually One Chase Manhattan Plaza before transferring to the Branch System and advancing to the position of Teller Supervisor. During this time she witnessed the ground breaking and construction of the World Trade Center and Twin Towers complex. Eventually Norman Yeomans came into her life. So blessed she was to have had such a wonderful man share his incredible perspective with her and her son. For eleven cherished years, these were the best years of her life. She was by his side upon his passing away. Then, after 30 years of service she accepted an early retirement and relocated to San Francisco in 1990.

Once in Northern California she immersed herself in all the nature and wildlife this unique environment has to offer. As an avid bird watcher, she participated in various organizations such as the Audubon Society, and ventured throughout California, including the Sutter Buttes, and a myriad of Wildlife Sanctuaries. She also took great pleasure in volunteering for various nature preservation organizations along the coastal areas and the Marin Headlands.

The arts were an important part of her life. She frequented the Legion of Honor, de Young Museum, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Also performances at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center, and many other institutions, including the San Francisco Art Institute.

All the while, she continued to remain employed, for Sanwa Bank, then at the Carriage Inn, the Americania Hotel, and eventually retiring from the Handlery Union Square Hotel in 2004.

She was always very optimistic and had a very positive disposition. Her warm and gentle ways was a force that was received well and had a lasting impression. She had a heart of gold and embraced humanity. Her travels to Alaska, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Europe had a profound effect on her. The local people could not do enough for her. Her encounters with nature during her overseas ventures created fond memories. She would reminisce often, especially over coffee and watching The Great British Bake Off.

She was an avid reader and gardener. She loved literature on history, nature, art, and the book and series All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot, as well as Foyle's War, Victoria, all of the British Mystery Series on Masterpiece Theater featured on PBS, as well as the Classic Arts Showcase and Amature Night at the Apollo. She also loved attending to her garden on her balcony in Twin Peaks overlooking the San Francisco Bay.

Bettina Lord is survived by her son Peter Lord, as well as her relatives in Germany, including Ute Milisch, Jan Schumacher, Martin Milisch, Karin Kunkel, Juliane Küfe, Uwe Engel, and their respective families.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.sanfranciscocolumbarium.com for the Lord family.