Betty Tanner Angerman

Betty was born on October 11th, 1947 in Sacramento, California. Her family moved to St. Louis, Missouri where Betty completed high school. Upon graduation from high school, Betty moved back to California and attended the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), where she graduated with honors in Nursing. A determined and self-made woman, she was proud that she paid her way through college by being one of the first female mail carriers in the State of California.

After graduating from UCSF in 1973, Betty moved to Bethesda, Maryland to work in oncology at the National Institutes of Health. She met her loving husband, Keith, a volunteer with the Bethesda Chevy Chase Rescue Squad, when Betty asked to ride along in ambulances with his squad. In a story often retold fondly to their children, Keith heard her voice over the phone and thought she sounded “cute,” so he put her in his ambulance.

In 1975, the couple moved to San Francisco and then Corte Madera, California. A devoted mother and volunteer, Betty was an active parent at the local elementary school where she organized a weekly hot dog lunch and gained the title of “The Hot Dog Lady” and also volunteered to support the Boy Scouts of America Marin Council, including being recognized as volunteer of year in 2003. Additionally, she gave much of her time to the local Blue Star Mothers and American Legion Auxiliary, a passion that would carry on into her later years.

Throughout her impressive nursing career, she proudly attained many professional certifications and awards including being recognized as the Society of Gastrological Nurses Association’s Nurse of the Year in 2013.

In 2018, Betty returned with her husband back to the East Coast, moving to Rockville, Maryland, to be closer to her daughter and her growing family. She played the role of doting grandmother and spent her free time traveling the world, another pursuit which she deeply enjoyed, visiting over 28 countries.

In the Fall of 2023, Betty was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease). As the disease ran its course, Betty fought with dignity and never lost her sense of humor. After experiencing a heart attack, Betty was admitted to Adventist Shady Grove Hospital, and was surrounded by her family around the clock, leading up to the day of her passing.

Betty is preceded by her parents, Grace and James Tanner, her brother, Charles Tanner, and her son, Brian Angerman. The memory of her legacy is celebrated by her husband, Keith Angerman, daughter Elizabeth Umeda, son Jimmy Angerman, son-in-law Grant Umeda, daughter-in-law, Jessica Angerman, and grandchildren Brian, Luke, Finn, Stella, Eli, and Charlotte.

As she prepared for the end of life, Betty asked that any acts of remembrance be made to the San Anselmo American Legion Auxiliary or John’s Hopkins Center for ALS Specialty.