Elizabeth (Betty) Jean Heater

Betty was born in Paulding, Ohio, on November 22, 1927. She graduated from Bowling Green College in 1949 and received her MS degree in Music Therapy and Psychology at Ohio University in Athens in 1957. She taught in Ohio and Florida for 13 years before joining the DoDDS schools in 1965. Her first assignment was at Goose Bay HS, Labrador with subsequent transfers to Wagner JHS in the Philippines and Baumholder HS in Germany. In 1970, Betty moved to Upper Heyford HS where she stayed until her retirement in 1991.

Betty taught band, choir, music appreciation, psychology, humanities, and other assorted subjects. Her band was in great demand for local parades. She took her choirs to numerous children’s and retirement homes where they enjoyed performing. The many tributes given by former students indicated the lasting positive impression Betty made on them., She had learned to play all the instruments in the band. Her wry sense of humor made her beloved by all students and faculty who came into close contact with her.

Betty retired to Palm Harbor, Florida, in 1991 and enjoyed reading, watching sports of all sorts on TV, playing bridge, and was involved in Delta Kappa Gamma, P.E.O., the Order of the Eastern Star, and church activities. In 2002 she developed cancer and was finishing her fourth round of chemo at the time of her death. She was a tough fighter in anything she believed in.