She was born in Fort Worth, Texas on Jan. 28, 1928 to William Paul Robberson and Bettie (nee: Fowler) Robberson.
Bettye was raised in Houston, Texas. After graduating from John H Reagan High School June 1, 1945, she attended Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas as an Art major and graduated in 1949. After college she remained in Abilene and worked for Pacific Finance Corporation and then for Haliburton as a draftswoman. As an artist she used her skills painting and sketching, leaving behind several beautiful paintings which remain hanging in her Westport home.
While in Abilene, Bettye met the love of her life and married Wilfred Hans Andersen “Bill” on March 5, 1953. Bill worked for General Foods Corporation and while building a career as an Executive Sales Manager, was transferred multiple times. Together they moved around the country and as Bill built a career with G.F. they also built their family, having three boys. They lived in Cincinnati, Ohio; Huntington West Virginia; Louisville, Kentucky; Omaha Nebraska; Lansing, Michigan; Beaverton, Oregon; Demarest, N.J. and Orange, California before being relocated and settling down in Westport, Connecticut in 1965. Bettye loved Westport and the seasons and beauty of New England
Bettye was the quintessential homemaker. She loved her family deeply and was dedicated in creating a loving Christian home for her family. She loved God and loved hearing messages about Him and his plan for our lives. She had a deep Christian faith and taught children’s Sunday School and attended and hosted Ladies Bible studies over many years. She was also a Cub Scout Den Mother for many years. As her family was growing, she was always shuttling her Boy’s back and forth to sports practices and games, band practices and recitals, scout meeting and events, friends’ houses or over to the beach or Longshore swimming pool. Her days and greatest life’s joys were filled with the duties of raising a family and home which she loved.
She loved her family fiercely, and even in later years after the kids moved on forming their own lives and families and living hundreds of miles away in other parts of the country, she kept up with each family member and what was happening in their lives. She knew the birthdates of everyone in her family.
Later in her life, Bettye spent much of her time and took refuge in the writing of poetry and short story articles. She loved to write and had a way with words. She leaves behind hundreds of poems and stories which she enjoyed sharing with others. She loved going to the beach on Long Island Sound and watching the water, the Sea Gulls, and the sail boats on their graceful trek across the water and would spend hours sitting at the beach and writing.
Bettye was preceded in death by her husband Bill in 1989, and her youngest son, Ben in 2010 as well as her younger sister, Mary Lou in 2011.
She is survived by her other two sons, William Hans Andersen “Bill” (Texas) and Robert Peter Andersen “Bob” (Louisiana), a Nephew Paul Lee Kinsey (Texas), nine grandchildren and twelve Great Grandchildren.
She was affectionately known to her Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren as Maw Maw B. Anyone who knew her was richer for the experience.
A visitation for Bettye will be held Friday, March 1, 2024 at 12:30 PM at the Chapel of Chimes at Brookside, 13747 Eastex Freeway, Houston, Texas 77039. A funeral service is scheduled to follow and begin promptly at 1:30 PM with burial to take place at Brookside Memorial Park.
A full obituary will be posted soon.
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