Betty Bishop Williams

Betty Williams died at the age of 101 at the Marquette retirement community in Indianapolis after a fortunate and giving life. A devoted wife and mother to her four children, she also gave whole-heartedly to many non-profit organizations, emphasizing particularly the enhancement of women’s lives. Betty was born in Washington Heights, Manhattan, to Helen Craden Bishop and Lyle Austin Bishop, sandwiched between older brother Robert Lyle Bishop and younger brother Harry Craden Bishop. The family moved to Bayside, Queens, and then to Manhasset on Long Island. After graduating from high school at 17, Betty attended Cornell University, where she majored in home economics to qualify for the university’s lower public tuition that her family could afford. Still she persuaded her department to let her take many math courses, her true love. After graduating in 1940, Betty worked in NYC for Macy’s as a management trainee and then for WT Grant in spring of 1942. Betty’s life took a momentous turn when she took a night boat to Boston for a blind date with her future husband, Roberton Capell (Bob) Williams, a Navy officer training at the Harvard Business School. After just two more dates, Bob was sent to Pearl Harbor in November 1941, and for the next 2 1/2 years, they connected only by mail. In late 1942, her former Macy’s supervisor and a Cornell trustee recruited Betty into the first class of Navy Wave supply officers. They got around the requirement that recruits have majored in either math or economics by abbreviating hers as “H. Economics” on the application, correctly assuming no one would know what the H stood for. After naval officer training at Smith and Radcliffe Colleges, she served as a disbursing officer at the Long Beach Naval Hospital in California. En route to a new assignment at the Oakland Marine Terminal in spring 1944, Bob spent a month’s leave with Betty in Long Beach, during which he proposed. They were married in San Francisco that September. Betty left the Navy a few months later when she became pregnant. Bob followed her lead in 1946, joining the sales division of Stokely Van Camp in Oakland. His job took Betty and their growing family to Mt. Vernon (WA) in 1954, back to the Bay Area in 1958, and finally in 1963 to Indianapolis, where they spent the rest of their lives. After devoting nearly two decades to rearing four children, Betty turned her focus to advocating for women. She served as a volunteer in many positions with the League of Women Voters, including on the state board and on national committees. For many years she was the legislative liaison for the LWV at the Indiana legislature, going every day it was in session to speak with legislators and their staffs about the League’s positions on issues before the General Assembly. Separately she worked to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in Indiana and to help girls through the Julian Center, Girls Inc., and as president of the YWCA. Finally, at age 60, Betty joined Planned Parenthood of Indiana as Director of Public Affairs and worked as a lobbyist in the State Capital from 1979 to 1988. In retirement, Betty joined Bob as a counselor at the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), which she ultimately served as chapter president. They traveled throughout the US and around the world, often on Elderhostel trips, some with their grandchildren and some where they were hosts. Even so, Betty didn’t quite complete her goal of visiting every state capitol. When home at Marquette, they kept busy with activities and were recognized as Volunteers of the Year in 2007. Their 70-year marriage ended with Bob’s death in 2015. Betty is survived by her daughter Helen (Danielle) Hill of Santa Monica, CA; three sons: Roberton C. Williams, Jr. (Jane Hilder) of Alexandria, VA; Richard B. Williams (Jeanne Segal) of Watertown, MA; and David L. Williams (Kathleen Kunz) of Zionsville; seven grandchildren: Brin Hill; Rob, Kyra, Aimee, Bennett and Ross Williams; and Sara Segal-Williams; and 11 great grandchildren. Donations in Betty’s memory may be made to the League of Women Voters or to Planned Parenthood of Indiana.