2017

BETTY BARNETT

Betty came to live in Greenfields in 1990, first at no: 21 and then at no: 20. She was a member of the Village Hall Committee for several years and became our Treasurer. Betty was born and brought up in London where she trained and qualified as an accountant. During her career, she worked in Paris and Geneva as well as in London and latterly in Southampton. Betty enjoyed walking, taking a regular walk along Butterfurlong Road, up Long Drove and down Green Drove each day and was a member of the village play reading group. Although she was a quiet, gentle person, she was also a positive person who took a practical attitude to life. Betty loved literature and music, especially opera, and I have had many interesting conversations with her about both these subjects. We both shared a love of the novels of Jane Austen and had many fascinating discussions about them. Betty regularly took herself on musical cruises and I always enjoyed seeing the programmes and hearing about the various concerts she had attended. She also loved the theatre and was a regular visitor to the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton. And she made the most amazing vermouth and lemonade – I will always believe that, after having put a generous slug of vermouth in the glass, she just wafted the lemonade can over the top – delicious! Sadly, a few years ago, Betty began to show the first signs of Alzheimer’s disease; we did what we could to support her and I was regularly in contact with her niece, Joanne, who lives in Bristol. However, Betty’s condition deteriorated and eventually she moved to a care home in Bristol near Joanne where she passed away on 15 June this year.

Janice Ford