[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 149 (Tuesday, September 17, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1162]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





           TRIBUTE TO HONOR THE LIFE OF ELIZABETH JANE KERLEY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 17, 2019

  Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Elizabeth 
(Betty) Jane Kerley, who died peacefully at her Rossmoor home on May 
22, 2019. Betty was born on March 6, 1923 in Oakland to first-
generation Welsh immigrants, Hugh and Anna Williams. Betty was the 
youngest of three children and was very proud of her Welsh stock. She 
was a lively and resilient child, qualities that she drew upon 
throughout her long life.
  When Betty was ten, her mother died of pneumonia. Betty took charge 
of the house, helped by her father Hugh and their housekeeper Mrs. 
Benson.
  Betty's father was a noted professional singer who was once Director 
of the famed Grace Cathedral Boys Choir. Believing that his daughter 
was a child prodigy, he encouraged her to pursue her unquestionable 
musical talents to become a concert pianist. Betty attended San 
Francisco State College to pursue a teaching degree, and in 1944, she 
married William Strehl, a Seabee who shipped out shortly after their 
marriage. Their first child Katherine was born in 1944 and their son 
Bill in 1954.
  In 1959, Betty became a single mother raising two children on her 
own. She secured a position with the University of California's Office 
of the President, and worked at UC for 17 years. Betty met and married 
Robert F. Kerley (Bob) in 1975, and moved with him to Rossmoor in 1977. 
There they joined a vibrant community of UC retirees and enjoyed many 
years of retirement. Betty enjoyed art and gardening, and she and Bob 
worked tirelessly in her daughter's garden in Menlo Park, California. 
She started her own interior decorating company, but her real passion 
was painting . . . first with oils and later watercolors. She lived a 
long and happy life and was known for her loving smile, her loyalty to 
family and friends, her wit and laughter, the glint in her eye and for 
always being a classy lady. She was loved by many and will be dearly 
missed.
  Betty is survived by her two children: Katherine (Bill Dempsey) 
Strehl of Menlo Park, California, Bill (Sue) Strehl of Eugene, Oregon 
and stepchildren, Kathleen James of Bend, Oregon, Maureen (Taylor) 
Douglas of Bend, Oregon, Barbara Neill of Austin, Texas and Bill (Jerri 
Townsend) of Austin, Texas; ten grandchildren and three great 
grandchildren. Her beloved husband of 31 years, Bob, died in 2006. She 
is also survived by her loving caregiver Atiola Raura, Ati's husband 
Emosi, and their family of seven children who brought love and joy to 
Betty in her last six years of life.
  Madam Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me 
in honoring the life of Elizabeth Jane Kerley, and in extending our 
most sincere condolences to her family and loved ones.

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