Betty Jean (Wotton) Anstett passed away on May
12, 2024. She was born December 2, 1939, to George
and Bernice (Klein) Wotton in Friday Harbor, WA.
Her father was a shipwright and her mother worked
at a hardware store, spending their summers as
commercial fisherman in Alaska. Betty was the second
of three daughters. She had a beautiful singing voice
and offered a contract as a teen. Growing up on "The
Rock", she worked as a caregiver, at a bakery and on
the ferry.One day her life changed when she opened the
door to a blind date. Her first thought was "Wow, he
is short". As fate would have it, this Coastie would be
the love of her life. Together Betty and Frank Anstett
would have 3 children and navigate transfers to
various cities in Texas, Washington D.C., Virginia and
North Carolina. After decades away from Washington,
Frank was transferred to Port Angeles and the family
happily settled.True to Betty's caring spirit, she volunteered in
schools for years. When the district started hiring
paraeducators, they recruited her to be a librarian.
She was the beloved librarian to decades of students
at Fairview Elementary. She wanted to encourage kids
to learn and to love the library, so one summer she
broke out the paint to transform it into a jungle. She
truly loved her students; they knew it and loved her
right back.
Betty was the heart of the family. She made every
event special and every holiday magical. She also has
a beautiful garden and a knack for "winning" games
of dice and cards. Betty was dedicated to her family,
watching the grandkids every summer and caring for
Frank throughout his battle with Parkinson's until
he passed away in April 2019. She put her heart into
everything she did and was the most loving person.
The family hoped she would make it until Mother's
Day, and she did. Like everything else, she did it for us.
She leaves behind by her older sister Ruth Ploughof,
younger sister Artis Avery, her children Brenda (Jim)
Borte, Dave (Shelley) and Daren, her 4 grandchildren,
Joshua, Bernadette and Georgina Borte and Jake
Anstett and her 5 great-grandchildren.