Betty Katherine Hobson Warner
Betty Warner, born November 18, 1925 in Corning CA, passed away in Santa Barbara in the comforting presence of her Heritage House and Hospice caregivers, and her family.
Betty loved to talk about her happy childhood growing up in the small town of Corning, California with her parents, Ruth (Siler) and Paul Hobson, and sister, Paulyne White. She was surrounded by aunts, uncles, and grandparents who she adored. Throughout her life, family was always her utmost priority.
Skipping a grade in elementary school, Betty was only 17 when she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and joined the war effort, working for the Army Quartermaster Corps in Oakland.
During that time, she met the love of her life, Alfred Warner, a flight instructor in the Naval Air Corps who was stationed in Alameda at war’s end to transport soldiers and POWs back home from the Pacific islands.
Betty was a Freshman at UC Berkeley in 1946 when she set aside her college ambitions to marry Fred. Betty and Fred had been married 61 years when he died in 2007. Their love ran deep.
They raised three girls in Portland, Oregon, San Rafael, California, and St. Louis, Missouri, to name a few places where Fred’s employer moved the family. Always getting involved with politics, joining PTA, finding and enjoying part-time administrative assistant work, connecting with new bridge and golf partners, Betty found it increasingly difficult each time General Motors casually uprooted them. Still, she kept making friends, and she kept in touch with all of them through the final transfer back to the Bay Area where they retired. In 1997, Fred and Betty moved to Santa Barbara to be near two of their daughters.
Betty loved playing bridge and golf, which she did with Fred and with groups of her friends. She devoured books–from mystery novels to political tomes–and she started each day reading up to three newspapers. In retirement, Fred and Betty loved to travel, making many trips to Alaska to visit their youngest daughter. They especially enjoyed Elderhostel, and gained new friends on every journey.
Betty is survived by her daughters Jane Warner (Howard Rothman), Sally Warner-Arnett (Bill Arnett) of Santa Barbara, and Susan Warner of Juneau AK; her sister Paulyne White and nephew Mark of Corning; her cherished grandchildren Chad, Katherine (Matt Massanari), Hannah, and Yana; and her precious first great-grand baby, Elena.
Betty’s family wishes to express their heartfelt gratitude for the compassionate, loving care of the Heritage House and Assisted Home Health staff including Tejasvi, Natalie, Yaroslav, Yolanda, Fidel, Sophia, Beatrice, Lupe and so many more.
