Betty Pamela Hood Hartley

Raleigh,NC: Betty Pamela Hood Hartley passed away Friday, March 9th. Betty was born July 1, 1934 in Cretingham, Suffolk, England, the daughter of Ernest and Daisy Hood. She met John Hartley, an American airman stationed at RAF Bentwaters, in 1952. They were married in June, 1953. In 1954, their son, John Anderson Hartley, Junior was born in England. Betty’s first trip to the United States took place in 1956: it was during this time she discovered the joys of pizza! She became a US Citizen in 1965. Being a military family, they moved quite often, and were stationed in various locations including Charleston, South Carolina; Wunsdorf, Germany ; Fayetteville, North Carolina; and McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey. John and Betty retired to Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Betty served as Manager of the fine china department at a local department store. Her British accent charmed many potential buyers. In 1988, her granddaughter, Laura was born, and they moved to Fayetteville shortly afterward  to be closer to family . Betty loved spending time with Laura and was extremely proud of all her accomplishments. In her retirement, she enjoyed travelling with friends and family, especially back home to England to visit her family. She also enjoyed league bowling, gardening and knitting, as well as baking English specialties for tea time. Her husband John passed away in 2004. Betty continued to enjoy her Fayetteville neighbors as well as new friends in the area. In 2013, she fulfilled a lifelong dream of visiting China and climbing the Great Wall with her son. In 2015, Betty was diagnosed with multiple myeloma.  She moved to Raleigh to be closer to family and medical treatment at Duke Raleigh Cancer Center. She chose an apartment with a balcony at Springmoor Retirement Community. She met a wonderful group of new friends there and enjoyed exploring the Triangle area. She remained active until late 2017, continued to travel internationally, and enjoyed her granddaughter’s wedding. She was predeceased by her husband, John; sister, Hazel Whitesides; parents, Ernest and Daisy Hood. She is survived by her son, John Anderson Hartley, Junior and his wife Susan; granddaughter Laura Hartley Murray and her husband Parker Murray; brother, Peter Hood; sister, Gladys Young; and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces , grandnephews, and great grand nieces and nephews. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, March 17, at 11 am at Raleigh Moravian Church, 1816 Ridge Road, Raleigh, NC. The family will receive visitors after the service. A service of committal will be held in Fayetteville, NC on Monday, March 19, at 11 am at Lafayette Memorial Park, 2301 Ramsey Street. The family wishes to express its gratitude to the staff  and residents of Springmoor Retirement Community, where she was immediately made welcome and received excellent care. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the V Foundation for Cancer Research, 14600 Weston Parkway, Cary, NC 27513 in honor of Dr. Joseph Moore and the staff and volunteers at Duke Raleigh Cancer Center.