Family and friends will gather October 2nd to remember Betty Code, and are sharing this with her community now:
Betty Alice Code
Born February 1, 1926Betty was known for stretching a dollar, dancing up a storm, meeting everyone at the party, and clipping bushes within an inch of their lives. She was all about getting things done and had more energy than her kids and grandkids combined.
The only child of John and Rhetta Blair, Betty grew up on Queen Anne Hill and attended Coe Primary School and Queen Anne High. Her summers were spent at a cabin, swimming and canoeing on Lake Sammamish. An excellent student, Betty applied and was accepted to Mills College for Women in Oakland, CA. She studied a range of subjects and took up modern dance which cemented her lifelong love of dance, as well as her amazing flexibility. Ultimately though, Betty decided to major in business and transferred to Washington State where she was active in the Alpha Phi Sorority. She also took summer classes at the UW, where she became reacquainted with Bill Code, a fellow Queen Anne graduate. When asked what first attracted him to Betty, Bill said, “We were at Lake Wilderness and while all the other girls were gabbing, Betty was on the water, rolling logs with the guys. I liked her energy!” They were married in 1948 and immediately embarked on an adventure to Chicago’s southside, where Bill was enrolled in graduate school. They found a tiny apartment in a sketchy neighborhood and Betty gamely commuted on the El each day to her job as a bookkeeper. It was an exciting way to begin their 76 years of marriage.
Betty and Bill returned to Seattle and started a family within a few years. Although she stayed home with Bob, Merilee, and Jim, Betty was in no way stationary, mastering multi-tasking before it became a thing. Availing herself of a very long phone cord, Betty was known to conduct PTA business or comfort elderly friends over the phone, while simultaneously cooking dinner and cutting the kids’ hair. There were some complaints about lopsided cuts and dried out chuck steak, but she got an amazing amount done. Betty was a tremendous cheerleader, motivator, and supporter of her family, creating a comfortable home on a tight budget and imbuing her kids with the same active spirit. The TV suspiciously broke every summer and going out to play was a clear expectation. Without complaint, Betty also provisioned weekly camping trips for family and friends to their property on the Key Peninsula, packing Styrofoam coolers with ice frozen in margarine containers, planning meals that could be made over a campfire, and ensuring that there were enough clothes and towels to survive a downpour.
As the children grew older, Betty started volunteering at West Seattle High and eventually was employed in the career counseling center. She developed ties with the business community, brought in speakers, and organized field trips that introduced students to a variety of occupations. She took kids, especially girls, who seemed a bit directionless under her wing and encouraged them to think about their interests and strengths. One appreciative student wrote: “I always wanted to thank Mrs. Code for helping me find a job at a veterinary clinic after school. It saved my life by showing me there was a whole world outside of school and that the bullies…meant nothing in the larger world.”
Inspired by her mother who had worked full-time running a business, Betty developed an independent spirit. She was a pragmatic, brass tacks kind of person who did not shy away from voicing opinions about politics, investments, and what was “square” enough to pass muster. She liked to keep busy so after retiring from the counseling center, Betty started doing secretarial tasks for the family business, giving her time with her sons and a sense of productivity. In her free moments, Betty enjoyed going to the theater and Husky basketball games, maintaining a huge yard, canning peaches and putting up strawberry jam, and boating, golfing, and swimming. Betty was someone who could be counted on to come to the rescue and help in any way possible. She seemed to always be lending a hand to women older than herself who were also named Betty. She was very involved in her church, Westside Presbyterian and shared responsibility with Bill for the “Special People Program” providing transportation, lunch, and entertainment for disabled folks over a thirty year period.
When it came to her grandchildren, Randy, Ian, Tessa, Kyle, and Jason, Betty was the pied piper. She could get the kids interested in doing just about anything active from stacking blocks to hitting tennis balls to dancing around the living room, even weeding! Betty and Bill made it a priority to attend their sporting events, school presentations, and award ceremonies and they were proudly present at each grandchild’s college graduation. Betty was also delighted to get to know her son-in-law’s children, Brendon, Nathan, and Megan.
Betty will be remembered for her true love of Bill and family, her action-oriented zest for life, her thoughtfulness and interest in other people, and her dazzling, movie star smile. She is survived by her three children and their spouses, Bob and Mary Code, Merilee and Scott Robar, and Jim and Claire Code, eight grandchildren and their spouses, ten great-grandchildren, and her niece, Sharon Hostetter, and nephew Bill Code and his wife Carol and their children.
Please join us for a celebration of Betty’s life at Tahoma National Cemetery on Friday, Oct. 2nd, from 2:30 pm to 3:00 pm. Remembrances may be made to Westside Presbyterian Church.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries and memorial announcements by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to [email protected])
