Betty Lou Meins

Beloved wife, mother and grandmother, Betty Lou Holland was the only child born to Ivan and Edna Holland in Highland Park (Los Angeles), CA on January 5, 1933. Her father was a machinist who owned his own auto parts and mechanic shop. On the side, as a hobby, he owned a race car, and his family would drive all over to watch it be raced at various tracks. Betty grew up loving car racing. She fondly told stories of the many times her daddy took them on the road to see one of their cars race. She was very beautiful, and at 16 she became a model. She met the love of her life, Wally, when she was 17, while on a family vacation in Green Valley, near Big Bear, CA. After they married, Betty Lou became a Navy wife and later, when Wally became an Air Traffic Controller, moved seamlessly into the role of Air Traffic Controller's wife, with all the stress and crazy schedules to go along with it. Betty was an avid animal lover. She raised Persian cats and showed them in cat shows, winning best of show multiple times. This led to her becoming a judge of all cat breeds who traveled the world judging various shows. In 1966 she gave birth to her son Eric. As he grew, Betty Lou loved to involve Eric in raising and caring for the cats. She was a meticulous documentarian and kept wonderful records of her family tree and Eric's early life, with many pictures and written documentation. She and Wally were married for 64 years. They had a beautiful friendship and displayed a wonderful example of what sacrificial love, commitment and faithfulness in marriage look like. She was a wonderful wife, mother and grandmother. We will miss you so much, Mimi. We love you.