Betty Pilkington
Betty Pilkington was born Betty Dawn Reese on December 6, 1926, in Gridley, California and passed away on March 21 in Santa Maria at the age of 98. She was raised during the depression by her parents Harry and Bertha Reese, along with 8 brothers and sisters. When World War II broke out Betty wanted to support the troops by attending USO dances in Sacramento. There she met her husband-to-be, Doyle Pilkington, who was “the best dancer ever”, according to Betty. He was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge and returned from the front lines.They competed for and were married on the popular radio show, “Bride and Groom” in 1948, the highlight of which was to receive an automatic washing machine. Dear Doyle was deceased in 1985.
During the postwar baby boom, they gave birth to their son, Douglas, and daughter Debra. By then they had moved to Santa Maria, CA to be near Doyle’s family . Being an avid sewer, Betty quickly saw a need for a fabric store in Santa Maria and she and Doyle opened Betty’s Fabrics there in 1960. The business expanded to three stores, adding San Luis Obispo and Lompoc by the late 1960s. The Lompoc store closed prior to opening the Santa Barbara store in 1973 with the help of their son Douglas, who became manager of Betty’s Fabrics for the next 30 years. Betty was a consummate buyer of textiles in her travels around the world and specialized in the finest woolens, silks, cottons and formal and bridal fabrics. She was known as a pioneer and entrepreneur within the fabrics industry from New York to California and had famous people as customers. Given the interest in home décor, especially in Santa Barbara, Betty’s also built a strong business with designers and decorators, as well as the many home sewers and quilters.
Betty and Doyle purchased a cabin on Lake Nacimiento in 1967 which became a center of family gatherings, boating, waterskiing, horseshoe and card games and barbecue feasts for almost 50 years until destroyed by forest fire in 2016.
Betty witnessed the evolution of the home sewing business first-hand, developing personal and professional relationships across the country. Betty’s Fabrics is still a familiar name throughout the Central Coast. The last store closed in 2017, with Betty working full time until she was 91. As an indication of the times, Betty attributed the decline in home sewing to clothing “coming so cheap from China and people not learning to sew, in school or at home, there’s not much quality in clothing anymore. They buy it cheap; they wash it and it either falls apart, shrinks or does whatever it does, and they just go out and buy something else”. But her customers were her treasures. Betty loved her customers and was quoted in an article in the Santa Maria Times in 2017 to say, “They are just full of ideas and creativity, and they come in here to do something they love. They are busy people. They love what they’re doing. They are happy people”. They collaborated on fabrics and designs together. She cherished her friends and staff of many years and had remained close to them until her death.
Beyond fabrics and sewing, Betty also energetically pursued flower gardening and vegetable propagation (installing a greenhouse in 2022) and gourmet cooking, having a collection of hundreds of cookbooks and thousands of recipes that she shared with friends and family. A consummate card-player, Betty spent happy hours with her Hand- and-Foot and Cribbage partners. She also valued her neighbors who lovingly watched over her in her final years.
Given the nickname “Betty Boop” and “Grandma Boop” by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, she thrived on visits with them and with her entire family. Betty loved and is survived by her family – son Douglas and daughter-in-law Kristine and their children Tyler (Susie), Marshall, and Wesley, and great-grandchildren Charlotte, Alice, and Lucy. Also, her daughter Debra and son-in-law Michael Hardy, their children Danica (Alex), Kyle (Valla) and Stefan (Chelsea) and great-grandchildren Becker, Corbin, Leif, Marbjorn, Othinn, and Amara. Betty is also survived by loving nieces, cousins and their families. A memorial service will be held at Dudley Hoffman Mortuary in Santa Maria at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 21, 2025.
