Betty Evans Hoard

Betty Evans Hoard was born in Liverpool, England, on April 8, 1917, the youngest child of Nellie and Glynne Evans. Her father owned a real estate firm that would eventually be taken over by Betty's brother, Robert, after WWII. Betty attended the Huyton School for Girls in Liverpool where she began dance lessons at the age of eight. She subsequently focused on ballet at Butterworth's School of Dance and would compete across England. Upon graduation, Betty went to Edinburgh, Scotland to teach dance. With the onset of WWII, she joined the Navy Volunteers. It was during this time that she met her first husband, Peter Saunders, a survivor of Dunkirk. They were married, but Peter was lost at sea soon afterwards. Betty went back to Liverpool and supported the war effort by joining the Mechanized Transport Corp, where she eventually met Maurice Hoard at a fundraising dance where he was playing banjo. Maurie was a major in the US Army Transportation Corp responsible for shipping/supply across Europe. They were married in Liverpool in 1943. They had three children, the first, Jennifer was born while they were still living in England. The second, Martin, was born while in Seattle, Washington where Maurie worked for Northwest Airlines. The family then moved to Philadelphia after Maurie rejoined the Army. A second son, Brian, was born after they moved to Arlington, Virginia. Tours of duty took them to Paris, France, then back to Virginia then to London, England, with Maurie retiring from the Army in 1965. Betty was very active supporting the arts and served as a volunteer for the Kennedy Center for many years, while Maurie went on to work for the US Navy Civil Service in Arlington, fully retiring in 1982. They traveled together extensively over the years, including many trips to Europe. When Maurie's health declined they planned a move to the Colonnades in Charlottesville to be closer to their children. Maurie would pass away before the move, but Betty enjoyed 18 years at the Colonnades where she made many friends and enjoyed frequent visits with her family. She died peacefully in her sleep. She is survived by her children, Jennifer Hodges, Martin Hoard and his wife Rebecca West, and Brian Hoard; her granddaughters, Emily Hoard, Lauren Lansing and her husband Robert Lansing and Gabriella Hoard-West; and her great grandchildren, Gwenith and Livingston Lansing. There will be a family memorial for Betty at a later date. In lieu of flowers, Betty requested a donation to a charity of your choice in remembrance of her.