Betty Hamlin

Betty Jo Hamlin, 82, of Dunedin, FL, passed away on September 5, 2012, at the Hospice House Brookside in Palm Harbor, FL.

Betty Jo was born in August of 1930 to Guy & Fleta White in Moberly, Missouri. This was in the shared Randolph County of her 2nd cousin, our last 5 Star General, Omar Bradley of the nearby town of Clark. She would quickly and proudly tell you of the times on the farm her mother Fleta (Patrick) would share. She grew up in Missouri with her brothers, the late James & Jerry, and Wiley who lives in Hudson, FL, and Mitchel (Mick) who lives in Missouri, and her sisters, the late Wanda and Florence who died at age 16. Later, during Betty’s preteens, she was growing up in Independence Mo., home of Harry Truman that she carried equal pride in.

Moving to Michigan as a young lady, and later marrying Robert Hamlin, gave birth to her daughter, the late Karen MacCune-Getman-Hamlin, after six years of marriage. Karen gave Betty the joy of 3 grandchildren Karii ,Douglas and Eric and 4 great-grandchildren. During the time leading up to the birth of her only other child Kirk (guardian of the late Donovan Wiezorek) Betty and Bob built their own 3 bedroom home one shovel at a time, one nail at a time, one small short term loan at a time for each step, hiring only a brick mason for the fireplace, and a well driller.

During the years to follow, she enjoyed softball and bowling, vacations back to Missouri family and Hamlin family times around the area with Kalamazoo atop of the list. After becoming a single mother of 2 during the challenging times for a woman of the 1960’s, she was still able to go on to school in Lansing and Bay City Michigan returning to South Haven and working for Brite Trim as a lab technician. This was where she later in the 1970’s became the owner of H&N Anodize Finishing providing parts pressing, buffing, anodizing, paint and galvanize hot dipping back when there were few women business owners. Not bad for having less than a high school diploma. She knows and would tell anyone you have to get a “high school education” to do that now-a-days. After selling her business she went through a period of adjusting to a new lifestyle.

It was only a matter of time before she found her way to Florida staying busy with short stints of working with home health care, estate settling and as a school crossing guard where she so enjoyed the children. Along the way she rediscovered the homebuilder within bringing back a 1926 Bungalow in Clearwater to its glory, and helping her brother Jerry that he moved in with her until his passing.

In the last of her years she would proclaim how much she loved Dunedin, reading, drives by the water and hearing from her grandchildren. In the last of her days, receiving Jesus through Communion and Anointment from members and Pastor Herb Angel of Curlew United Methodist Church of Palm Harbor as well as Hospital and Hospice Chaplains.

                                                  While not found in the Bible, Betty would often say;
                                                          “God helps those who help themselves”

Betty will be at her final resting place in the “Lake View Cemetery” in South Haven Michigan,
at 10 AM Oct. 20th alongside her daughter Karen with a 2 PM Chapel service at the
1st Congregational Church on Phoenix St.. Drinks/snacks and remembrances following.

Goodbye for now Mom, we will all be together soon. I love you, Kirk.