Betty Murphy Hettinger, 85, passed away peacefully on February 15th, 2017 in Florida at the home of her eldest son and his wife. She spent the day surrounded by family and loved ones, including her three great-grandchildren. Loving, joyful, kind and elegant, she will be deeply missed by her family and many friends.
Born Betty Evelyn on September 13, 1931 to Alla Vonice and John Murphy in Houston, Texas, where she spent her formative years. While many women of her generation married and started families young, Betty imagined a different kind of future for herself. She took to the skies as a stewardess for Braniff Airlines, flying the “overnight” flight from Houston to Chicago. She received only one passenger complaint which stated, “Miss Murphy did not wear her hat.”
From there, she and a friend accepted positions working for the United States Air Force in Wiesbaden, Germany, where she met her husband, John Hettinger, while he was stationed there. During her time with the Air Force, Betty and her friend bought a VW Beetle and drove all over Europe. Her fond memories of her travels included visiting Austria at Christmas and becoming engaged to John on the Pont Alexandre III in Paris. They were married on September 5, 1957 in Wiesbaden.
After the Air Force, they moved to Mexico City, where they welcomed three sons, “Juanie” (John), William and James before relocating to the south of Spain. They returned to the US in the early 1970’s where they built a thoroughbred horse breeding and training facility, Akindale Farm, and, later, a charity for retired thoroughbred racehorses.
Betty and John spent their winters in Florida in Delray Beach and, later, Key West, and summers at home in Pawling, New York as well as Saratoga Springs for the racing season. They were surrounded by friends everywhere they went, and that community was of enormous comfort to Betty after John’s death in 2008. They were married 51 years, and John often said that she was proof you only had to make one good decision in your life.
Reunited with her great love, John, her son, Juanie, her brother, Raymond, and niece, Allison, Betty is survived by her son Bill (wife Corinna) and son Jim (wife Leanna), granddaughter Caroline (husband Peter, sons Henry and Arthur), grandson Charlie (wife Jennifer, daughter Grace) granddaughter Lily and niece Betty Lynn Murphy. Called “The Nana,” she was adored by her family. They are among the many who will feel the loss of her warm and generous spirit. As many friends have remarked over the years, Betty was the person you always hoped to sit next to at dinner.
A private memorial is planned for this summer at her home in New York. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for donations to be made to Akindale Thoroughbred Rescue (http://www.akindalehorserescue.org).
