Betty M. Allen's Obituary
Betty M. Allen was such a colorful, vibrant woman who loved to sing, dance and paint the world beautiful in many ways. Her life and passions showed just how much she loved everyone around her. This elegant woman was born in Cleveland, OH on March 30th, 1933. She was the pride and joy of Michael Louis Gulitz and Elizabeth Mary Gulitz. After the birth of their baby girl Betty, aka, “Betty Junior”, the Gulitz family knew they had to work hard to provide for their new child; Michael was a dedicated foundry worker while Elizabeth, “Betty Senior” worked as a seamstress and restaurant manager. Fourteen months after Betty Junior’s birth, the family was blessed with a new child. Michael Frank Gulitz was Betty’s new baby brother, who together, would create a beautiful bond; one that could never be broken. Betty and baby brother Michael were raised around a large family who often gathered together and spent countless hours singing, dancing, picnicking, but most importantly, making all those beautiful memories that would be forever engraved in Betty’s heart and eventually passed down through the generations. As a child, Betty loved to be active. She played baseball with the neighborhood kids making her a favorite amongst the kids when teams were chosen. She was definitely a work hard, play harder type of gal! In her spare time, she also loved to ride her bike and frequent the local “five and dime” to buy her favorite sweets…oh Betty definitely loved her sweets! She probably had the biggest sweet-tooth out of anyone I know! Betty was a life-long performer. All of you know that! She always found the time to get involved in anything that had to do with performing…I guess we could say she loved the applause! From the young age of 9, Betty began taking tap dancing lessons. And what once began as “something fun to do,” soon became a life-long hobby that ushered her passion for theater and music. While attending Jane Adam’s Vocational High School in San Antonio, Texas, Betty discovered she had a talent in dress-making that she never knew she had. So she followed her heart and majored in fashion design allowing her to make her own costumes and expand on yet another creative outlet this amazing woman had. As if all of this wasn’t enough, Betty was part of two theater productions, where not only was she able to use her fashion design skills to make the costumes for the actors, but she also played significant roles in both productions. The first was titled “The Last Curtain” and the second was called “Have You had Your Operation.” Her involvement in these productions only validated and deepened her love for the performing arts. Despite her busy schedule, Betty managed to be an excellent student earning high marks in school. All of her hard work and dedication opened a spot for her in the National Honor Society, a recognition given only to those who have demonstrated excellence in academic work and perseverance in a field of study. This is an accomplishment that Betty and both of her grand-daughters, Lauren and Leah, all share. It is certain that Betty knew that hard work and dedication would pay off someday; therefore, Betty always inculcated a strong work ethic upon her children (Terry and Michele) and encouraged them to always do their best in every area of life! Like a traditional love story, Betty met a boy, fell in love, and married that boy. Love grew between her and Jerry Harris, on the skating rink where they both danced and where Betty’s passion for figure skating blossomed. Church bells rang and they said “I Do” one peaceful day in 1953. Little did they know that their lives were about to change with the arrival of their baby-girl, Terry. Life was great in the Harris household with a new matrimonial union and the arrival of their precious little girl. “Happily ever after” seemed to be just around the corner; however, destiny had other plans and so did Betty! With her ever-changing free spirit, Betty decided that it was time for a change and became a single mother, providing a life full of opportunities and endless possibilities for her daughter Terry. During this time, Betty worked tirelessly to provide for her baby girl. With the help of her Mother Betty Senior, Betty Junior devoted her life to teaching good values and manners to Terry knowing that this would allow her baby to grow up to be a kind and loving person. Feeling like a change of scenery was needed, Betty Junior, Betty Senior, and baby Terry set out on an adventure one warm day in 1959 through the Southwest making San Diego, California their final stop and “home sweet home”. Betty Junior found a job as a secretary where she was able to put her amazing organizational skills to good use. After all, she always had an innate ability to keep good records and an even greater ability to pay attention to details. No task was ever too big and no outcome was ever too small for this multitalented woman! With all the hype of this new city where the possibilities where endless, Betty felt the need to continue her life-long passion for performing arts. She eventually joined the Blanch Mont Studios where she took Tap dancing lessons and would later perform with the dance company in various venues such as the Balboa Park. It wasn’t long until she wore yet another hat in the performing industry as a drummer for a local band. She was well known for her drumming techniques and talent, as well as, for her colorful shiny red six piece drum set that followed her to every bar and lounge around metropolitan San Diego! From 1964-1968, Betty went back to musical theater where she had one of the starring roles as Little Nell in an old fashioned melodrama titled The Fabulous Blackguard. She was also casted in the comedy titled The Curious Savage to play the supporting role opposite of Lillie Mae Barr, an actress who made a career playing little-old-lady roles. In 1971, Betty found love again! She married Alfred Allen and their family grew a little bigger. Shortly after holy matrimony, the Allens were blessed with some fantastic news…they were expecting another child! Michele was born June 11, 1972 at a whopping 4lbs 4oz. Michele brought a whole new love and perspective for Betty. Terry was now 18 years old and the age-gap between the sisters was rather wide. Seeing how Terry was starting to spread her wings and venture off to new horizons, Betty knew that baby Michelle would keep her young and active in the years to come. Throughout her years of marriage with Al, Betty continued to work feverishly to help provide for the family. It wasn’t until a few years later that Betty and Al began a business that would bring immense pride and joy to Betty. Betty was instrumental in the development of a promising ceramics shop where she managed and kept up with the demands of the clientele. This new creative window was more than perfect for someone like Betty who enjoyed all kinds of arts and crafts. After a while of running the ceramics shop, retirement sounded like a wonderful option, so they closed up shop and moved to Leisureland Estates. This was a time when Betty was ready to return to the stage and do what she did best…perform in front of an audience. She soon enrolled in singing and dancing lessons again. She knew that a good performer always bettered their craft and that was exactly what she wanted…to always be better. To much of her enjoyment, Leisureland Estates had their own theater/musical productions. We all know Betty was always one of the first ones to sign up! Besides being a loving wife, a caring mother, and kind-hearted friend, Betty also found time to care for mother Earth. She believed that every person should minimize their carbon foot print by becoming environmentally conscious. She always made sure she did her part by recycling and conserving water. She definitely leaves behind those strong ideals to her children and grandchildren who also believe in keeping our planet safe. Betty will always be remembered for all the love she spread during her time here with us. She will be remembered for her love for red roses and white lilies, for her love of Spring time because it brought beautiful blossoms, and new beginnings and she will most definitely be remembered for her eloquent dance moves, angelic singing, contagious laughter, and sweet spirit. Thinking of you Betty Mary Allen Often in our thoughts, always in prayers, forever in our hearts.
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