Bette Lynn Frederick
Bette Lynn Frederick passed away peacefully September 28, 2018 in Dallas.
Born September 13, 1936, in University Park, to Seth Burton “Burt” Ford and Marion Louise Ford, Bette Lynn attended University Park Elementary School and Ursuline Academy in Dallas before going to boarding school at Broadmoor School for Girls in Scottsdale, Arizona. She attended Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, upon graduating high school. She was the apple of her Daddy’s eye who, prominent in the fashion business, made sure she was always perfectly turned out.
After college she returned to Dallas and Althea Humphreys, a vice president at Texas Bank and Trust, thought she and a young man named Hugh Frederick Jr. would make a perfect pair and set them up on a blind date. He became her lifelong love. They married in 1959 in her hometown of University Park, at Highland Park Presbyterian Church and were married for 51 years before Hugh passed away in 2011.
Her husband’s career that began in New York at Chase Manhattan Bank and continued in Dallas at Republic Bank of Dallas, took a westward turn to El Paso, Texas in 1971 when he became president of American Bank of Commerce. While in Dallas, Bette Lynn was busy raising two sons, Burt Frederick and Kirk Frederick and was active in the Junior League of Dallas and The Dallas Garden Club.
While the initial move to El Paso was a bit of a shock for them with her big open skies, desert and mountains, they both grew to love El Paso so much they remained there for over 40 years until after Hugh passed away. There, she was involved with The Assistance League and with The University of Texas at El Paso alongside her husband.
But for anyone who truly knew Bette Lynn, the first thing they would say about her is that she had an enormous love of all animals and was known to rescue several including “Pickup” her favorite cat, “Highway” and “Tilliemarie her beloved dogs, “Marie Peace”, her dove, as well as many other pets during her lifetime. As a young girl, she had a horse named “Stokes” she dearly loved. Oftentimes neighbors would find birds and bring them to Bette Lynn to rehabilitate. She will be remembered for her sweet, generous and kind nature because for anyone who knew her, they would be hard pressed to remember a time when she was ever anything but kind and sweet – a true Southern Belle.
Bette Lynn is survived by her loving sons, Burt Ford Frederick of Las Cruces, New Mexico, and Hugh “Kirk” Frederick III, along with her daughter-in-law, Michaele Frederick, grandchildren: Rachel Frederick, Hugh Frederick IV, Yardley Frederick, and Waverly Frederick, all of Dallas; her beloved sister-in-law, Betty Jo Graham of El Paso; her son Burt’s partner, Mary Ozenne of Las Cruces; and her cousin Ford Lacy of Dallas. She is preceded in death by her husband, Hugh Kirk Frederick Jr., and her parents, Seth Burton Ford and Marion Louise Ford.
A memorial was held for Bette Lynn at Highland Park Presbyterian Church on Friday, October 12th, in the Sanctuary at 4:00 pm.
In lieu of flowers, please honor her with donations to the SPCA of Texas’ Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center at www.spca.org or the American Cancer Society at www.cancer.org/donate.
