Obituary of Betty Courage Hetherington

Betty Courage Hetherington (nee Humphreys) was born in Philadelphia, PA, on December 9th, 1942. She was the only child of Elizabeth and Russell Humphreys. Betty graduated from Frankford High School in 1960. In 1962, she married Robert Hetherington. They had 3 children, Bobby, Susan, and Billy. Betty and her family spent their summers on Long Beach Island in New Jersey. In 1990, she and her husband became full-time residents in Beach Haven. Betty worked various jobs throughout her life, but her best job was being a mother. She was patient and loving and fiercely protective. She chaperoned school trips, attended ball games and plays, volunteered for the Girl Scouts, created the best handmade Halloween costumes, and opened her home to all her kids' friends. 2005 brought Betty her greatest joy in life, her granddaughter, Sarah. Spending time and making memories with Sarah were without a doubt her favorite things in life. Betty LOVED being a Grammy. In 2006, Betty and Bob moved to Tuckerton Beach, NJ. There they built their dream house on the water where they entertained whenever possible. On any given day, Betty could be found on her back deck surrounded by friends and family, wine glass in hand, laughing, and loving life. In 2018, Betty was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome. Like her family name, she had Courage and she fought with ferocity. Throughout her years of treatment, there were good days and bad, yet she remained strong and hopeful until her last days. She passed peacefully on January 22nd, 2021. Betty was a social butterfly. She loved dining out, playing Mah Jongg with her infamous "Mah Jongg Girls", and playing the slot machines in Atlantic City and Las Vegas. If you ask those who knew her to describe Betty, you'd learn she was kind and generous. Selfless. Hilarious. Adventurous. Compassionate. An animal lover. A people lover. She made everyone in her life feel special. Betty is predeceased by her parents, Elizabeth (nee Courage) and John Russell Humphreys; and her son-in-law, Charles Senior. She is survived by her husband of 58 years, Robert Hetherington; son, Robert of Philadelphia; daughter, Susan Senior, and her fiancé, Eric Eisenbeis, of Surf City, NJ; son, William, daughter-in-law, Donna, and granddaughter, Sarah, of Tuckerton, NJ. She also leaves behind her special "practice" granddaughters, Morgan, Courtney, and Kelsey, who lovingly referred to her as Betty Boop. Due to Covid precautions, a life celebration will be scheduled at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to 4 Paws For Ability (https://4pawsforability.org/) or your local animal shelter.