Betty Mitchel Healy passed away Monday, Dec. 21, 2020, in Blacksburg at the home of her daughter and son-in-law, Barbara and Joseph Cox. She was 95 years old.
Betty was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on May 22, 1925. She was the youngest and last surviving of five children born to Alfred J. and Mary (Hermanson) Mitchel.
She married George S. Yagerman in 1946, and they had three children. After George died in 1962, she married Andrew T. Healy in 1967. Andrew died in 1995.
Betty graduated from Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati, in 1943. Since she attended high school during a historic time, she recently was asked to donate her yearbook to the Holocaust Museum to become part of a special exhibition documenting American life during World War II.
In 1963 following the death of her first husband, Betty began working at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Miami Flight Service Station. She managed to raise her three children while working alternating day and night shifts providing weather and other vital data to flight crews. She continued to work for the FAA for about 25 years until her retirement. As she did everywhere, Betty established lasting bonds with her co-workers.
People who helped care for Betty during her later years described her as “feisty,” “spunky and smart and a beautiful woman.” This is an opinion that was held by all who knew her. She loved keeping in touch with friends and family as a mentor and muse, never lacking for offering advice and encouragement. She also loved feeding the birds and watching the deer, rabbits, chipmunks and other wildlife in her backyard. She adopted a feral, outside cat, whom she called Izzy. Many people felt similarly nourished and protected by Betty.
While apolitical in her younger years, she became an avid follower of national government and political news as she aged. She enjoyed talking about current events, developed clear opinions, and was always perplexed when others did not share her views.
In addition to her daughter, Barbara, she is survived by two sons, Daniel E. Yagerman of Tamarac, Fla., and Steven J. Yagerman, of New York City, a daughter-in-law Katherine L. Simmons of Indianapolis, Ind.; granddaughters Rebecca Yagerman Deming and her husband Eric Deming, of St. Petersburg, Fla; Joanna Yagerman of, Brooklyn, N.Y. and Sarah Yagerman and her husband Durham Finney and their three-year-old daughter of Fiona, New York, N.Y.; and Elizabeth Condon of Charleston, S.C.; and grandson Justin G. Yagerman of Miami. She also is survived by several stepgrandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. All of them felt a special connection to Grandma (Aunt) Betty.
Betty’s family would like to express their sincere gratitude for the loving care she received during her final days. They are especially grateful for the support from Good Samaritan Hospice, Warm Hearth at Home, and the medical staff at LewisGale Hospital Montgomery. Betty will be interred along with her late husband, Andrew T. Healy, Jr., at Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati. A memorial service will be planned at the Spring Grove Cemetery at a future date when health concerns permit travel and gatherings. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations to Good Samaritan Hospice in Roanoke be considered.
