Betty Johanna Hutson Obituary
Betty Johanna was born on March 26, 1940, to Frank and Hattie Barwig, in Los Angeles. Frank had come to Los Angeles looking for opportunity from his family's Oklahoma farm during the dust bowl and great depression. Hattie herself had migrated to Southern California from her family's home in Arkansas' Ozark mountains, seeking new sights and new adventures.
The eldest of Frank and Hattie's four children, Betty grew up in a home rooted in love and appreciation for the family and the culture they each left behind when they came to California. Frank farmed his San Fernando Valley back yard, and Hattie made sure that her family back home were a constant presence in the lives of her children.
As a teenager, Betty's sister Jeanie remembers her being rather a rebel, sneaking cigarettes until Jeanie ratted her out; going on dates to the drive-in when her parents thought she was going to a walk-in theater. Her parents decided that sending her little sister along on her dates was a good way to keep her out of trouble, an arrangement the sisters resigned themselves to with chagrin.
When Betty met John Hutson, she has written that they were immediately smitten, and could "not get enough of each other.". They married and settled in Van Nuys to start their family, and sadly lost a son, Frank, shortly after his birth. Every year afterward, Betty observed Frank's birthday with a day of quiet and remembrance.
After Laura and Robert were born they bought their home in Thousand Oaks, in 1966. Heidi was born and came home to that house in 1973.
Betty always worked hard to support her home. After Los Robles Hospital opened in Thousand Oaks in 1968, she took a job as a nurse's aide. This led her to the profession she loved, and she entered nursing school to launch a career. Betty worked full-time as she earned her nursing degree, and was rightly proud the day she graduated and accepted her winged nurse's cap. She remained a Licensed Vocational Nurse at Los Robles Hospital for 35 years, until her retirement. She was proud of the care she provided her patients; during a recent stay at Los Robles a doctor mentioned that she looked familiar. She responded that she was the nurse who often chased him down these very halls, demanding he stop and speak with a patient.
Maintaining family connection was a central value in Betty's life. From the time they moved to Thousand Oaks, every Sunday Betty and John and their children would drive over surface streets and roads to San Fernando, to spend the afternoon at her parent's home. Laura, Robert, and Heidi were raised with a close extended family and memories of hamburgers off the grill served with vegetables and fruits pulled from Frank's garden. These family Sundays continued until Hattie could no longer live alone and moved into assisted living. One summer Betty and John piled the family of five into a Datsun hatchback and drove across the southwest to visit Hattie's family in the Ozarks. Laura and Robert fondly recall camping by the river, visiting with cousins, and begging for little wooden "hillbilly" tchotchkes in mountain general stores.
Betty loved celebrating holidays. While money was tight, Betty always made sure that her children had food and comforts and holidays that felt like magic. No matter the balance at the bank, Betty's children always woke on Christmas morning with a bounty from Santa that seemed miraculous. And every year from the day they met until the day he died, John celebrated Valentine's day with a special gift for Betty. She was so proud of this demonstration of love, and missed him all the more every Valentine's day.
After her retirement Betty took up genealogy research and volunteering with the library and her TOPS group. These activities kept her busy and active up until her final illness. Where she previously refused air travel, post-retirement she'd book flights to family reunions and research trips with equal excitement. Genealogy, in particular, took her on trips and into lectures, always learning and sharing exciting tidbits she'd find.
Betty is survived by her siblings, Frank "Rudy" Barwig, Jeanie Judson, and David Barwig; and their spouses, Helene Barwig and Don Judson; her niece Christa Weber and her family, Joe, Corey, and Mia; her children Laura Rose, John Robert, and Heidi Johanna; and their families, Tim, Seamus, Tracy, Arianna, Randee, Ryanne, and Nikolas; and her great grandchildren, Brooklyn, Miles, and Marley. Betty welcomed her grandchildren's partners, Chris, Mia, Jacob, and Juan, into the family and looked forward to watching them all build their lives together.
Throughout her life, Betty was a faithful Christian woman. Her faith was central to her days, it guided her toward kindness and compassion, and she very rarely could muster judgment on a person she cared for. She raised her family in Conejo Valley Baptist Church, a small American Baptist congregation. Later she found fellowship at Agoura Bible Fellowship, a community that supported her unfailingly and in so many ways over the years.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the minister's discretionary fund at Agoura Bible Fellowship.
