Henado and Isabel Caravalho.
For the first 12 years of her life she lived in Kona and then the family relocated to Kohala. There she
matured into the independent woman she eventually became.
Betsy had fifteen siblings. Three others had died in infancy. The boys in order of age were: Claude,
Lawrence, John, Maycrete, Alfonso, Tony, Ernest and Chris. The girls in order of age including Betsy
were: Natalia, Mary, Nina, Bella, Betsy, Maria, and Austasia and Rina.
Betsy was quiet, but knew when she needed to speak up. She was an independent thinker. To her no
challenge was impossible and knew that most anything she desired could be done. She placed great trust
in her intuition and perseverance to succeed.
Betsy loved school and had no problem with teachers or friends. School was about one mile from home
and she enjoyed walking there with friends. Although Betsy loved school, at times it was frustrating for
her. For example, if she needed help with math or some other subjects there was no one to help her. She
did the best she could. She was a B student but, wanted to do better. She promised herself that her
children would someday excel. She kept her promise and her children did do very well. She was
relentless in her pursuit of learning. She eagerly put forth extra effort to learn. Her favorite subject in high
school was history.
Betsy did not graduate from high school at the usual time. She got through 10th grade and had to leave
school to help out with the family finances.
On November 12th, 1944 Betsy was married to George Perreira. They had four children: Nolan, Gloria,
Duke and Mark. George was a police officer and Betsy was a wonderful seamstress who made
customized clothing for her clients. She also was a buyer and advertiser for a drug and retail store. While
working at the drug store she developed a friendship with a coworker, Lillian. Their friendship lasted over
50 years.
Although Betsy had gone through the 10th grade, it was her dream to graduate from high school. And she
did when her children were in elementary school. And in fact, by the time she was about 42 years old, she
had completed around two years of college. Unfortunately, due to a bad automobile accident, her dreams
of becoming a dress designer were crushed. Although she was never able to finish her degree she
decided to move on. There were still many things that she could do.
After her children grew up and moved away, Betsy and her husband George began to "homestead”
students, meaning they invited college students into their home to live with them for two weeks or more to
learn about the culture of Hawaii and the USA in general. Betsy and George learned a lot about the
culture of the students as well. They came from different countries such as Japan, Brazil and Switzerland.
The students loved Betsy' cooking. Every day was a nice surprise. One day she made Portuguese Soup,
the next day LauLau or Spanish Rice. It went on and on.
She was also a member of the Pali Senior's Club. They brought smiles to home bound seniors and others
by singing, dancing and playing music. In Pali Seniors' Betsy met another friend named Lily. They
developed a friendship that lasted over 20 years.
As Betsy aged, her fingers become less nimble due to arthritis. She did a lot of reading, but that wasn't
enough. She no longer could sew, crochet or knit, so she taught herself how to bead. And with a little help
from her youngest son Mark, she was able to complete each project.
In 2009, Betsy moved to Belmont, CA to live with her daughter and son. She lived there for 10 years. We
will cherish those years forever.
Betsy loved to travel and took several cruises with family and friends. But, in February 2019 it was time to
go home back to Hawaii to see her family, relatives, and friends, back to the place she loved most. She
passed away on July 29 th 2019. We all miss her deeply.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18