Joyce Betty

Joyce was born in Reedley CA in 1945 to Marlin and Lena Driedger and was surrounded by lots of family while growing up. The Harms and Driedger families gathered regularly and good times were had by all. Joyce began working in agriculture at a young age. She and her brother Jerry would sell watermelons at a corner stand. Joyce was a very hard worker and was a caregiver at several nursing homes after high school. She encouraged her Mom, Lena, to become a caregiver also. They were meticulous about cleaning and taking excellent care of their patients.

In 1964 Joyce met Steve Betty in North Fork CA, and the sparks flew. They were married in August and welcomed their first daughter Cynthia in October the following year. Joyce and Steve owned Betty’s Men’s and Boy’s Store in North Fork. In 1978 they were blessed with a second healthy daughter, Christina. In 1985 the Betty family decided to pack up and move to Anacortes WA. In 1987 they built their dream home in Anacortes, with a beautiful view of the San Juan Islands. Joyce loved to watch the barges & tankers slowly cruise by. Also at that time Joyce started working at the Anacortes Marina as the office manager. She worked there for 25 years and absolutely loved everything about her job. She especially loved to see the boaters and hear about their travels. Joyce retired in 2012 so she and Steve could travel more. They immediately visited Thailand & Vietnam and had an amazing trip. She posed by a big tiger, and cherished the painting they purchased which was drawn by an elephant. They traveled to Hawaii and became snowbirds, spending their winters in Yuma AZ. Other places Joyce was able to travel to included Europe with her good friend, an Alaska cruise, and a Jamaica cruise with Steve, and many road trips with their RV. Banff Canada was one of her favorite places. Joyce also enjoyed spending time with her mother and going out for lunch with her daughters or friends. She tried to attend her grandsons’ music concerts in Bellingham as much as she could and really enjoyed the Anacortes Theatre performances. In 2016 Joyce was diagnosed with IPF (Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis). At first it felt like asthma attacks and she was easily short of breath. But as the lung disease progressed, Joyce was forced to rely on oxygen full time. This is the disease that ultimately took her away from us.

Joyce was preceded in death by her parents Marlin (1994) and Lena (2017) and grandson Kyle (2020). She is survived by her husband Steve, daughters Cynthia and Christina, brother Jerry and grandson Alexander.

There will be no official services for Joyce, per her wishes. Please leave a comment or two—share a special memory of Joyce, so we can all pause and reflect upon her beautiful life.

If you would like to make a donation on her behalf, please support the Anacortes Theatre https://acttheatre.com/donate/