Betty Helen (Dinius) Pedigo

Betty Helen Joseph (Dinius) Pedigo, passed away at the age of 77 in Cary, North Carolina on Saturday, March 16, 2024. She was born in Leslie County, Kentucky and grew up in Eaton, Ohio, until going to nursing school in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1964. In 1971 Betty and three other nurses were the first cohort of nurse practitioners in the state of Indiana!

She lived most of her adult life in Indianapolis where she also completed a masters degree in hospital administration in 1986, while lovingly and enthusiastically raising her daughter. Betty was a very compassionate, dedicated and fun mom. She attended all the “school things” and was Michelle’s biggest encourager, fan and role model. She always enjoyed time with family and friends, traveling, reading, hiking, bicycling and going to the Indy 500!

Betty spent 37 years at Wishard Hospital and retired as the Executive Associate Director & Chief Operations Officer in 2001 (but she would tell you she was always a nurse first). She also spent more than a decade as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Nursing at Indiana University, but her true love was working directly with patients and continued to have clinical days well into the administrative phase of her career. After retiring for a short time, Betty followed her heart and unwavering dedication back to the underserved populations she loved so much.

She rejoined Wishard at a small clinic devoted to serving those living on the streets, embedded within Horizon House, a multiservice day center for those experiencing homelessness. She served as a front line nurse but as the practice grew, adding providers and additional staff to meet the ever-present needs of her patients, she led as the practice director, again combining her passion for direct patient care with an innate knack for high quality servant-leadership. She served as a role model for everyone she worked with, demonstrating the truest leadership qualities of strength, dedication, and humility. Amongst her patients she was most well known and admired for her compassion, acceptance, good humor and excellent foot care (she always made sure her patients had fresh socks!). After successfully leading a capital campaign to renovate the clinic into a space where “anyone would feel comfortable getting care”, the clinic was renamed in her honor as Eskenazi Health Center - Pedigo Clinic, somewhat against her will as the work was always about the patients and never about her. Everything Betty accomplished professionally was simply a reflection who she was as a human.

In 2012 Betty retired “for real” and she and husband Tom began splitting their time between Indiana and North Carolina to be closer to her daughter, son-in-law (and grand dogs) so they could enjoy all the outdoor activities they loved - especially regular walks with their beloved hiking club! In 2018, Betty and Tom moved to Sanford, North Carolina full time and never looked back!

Betty fought Alzheimer’s disease with strength, grace and humor, thankfully for less than one year. She is survived by her daughter Michelle Dinius Hardman; son-in-law Dave Hardman; as well as many close family members and dear friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas Pedigo, her brother, John Joseph, her mother, Effie Joseph and her father, Wiley Joseph, Junior.

A celebration of life will be held on Thursday, September 5, 2024 in Speedway, Indiana at Dawson’s on Main. Please join us from 6:00PM to 9:00PM. You may drop-in or stay as long as you like.

Donations can be made in Betty’s honor to Carolina Animal Rescue and Adoption, where she and her husband Tom adopted their much loved dog, Toby. https://www.cara-nc.org/