Betty Jane Hagerty died peacefully at her home at Masonic Pathways on December 18, 2021 at the age of 96.  A loving wife, mother, granny, great grandmother and adoptive mom and sister to her Masonic Family, she leaves behind a legacy of love.

She was born and raised in West Brownsville, Pennsylvania.  She was valedictorian of her high school class and met John Hagerty at a leap year dance.  Betty moved to Michigan in 1943 to work as a key punch operator at the Michigan Central Railroad Building and married John while he was on leave from the Navy in 1945.

Together John and Betty, raised three daughters and she spent those days attending tap dancing recitals, scout meetings, music lessons, sporting events, and many Job's Daughters functions.  After the girls were raised, Betty became more involved with the Eastern Star, Daughters of the Nile, church Bible Studies and other activities at St. Paul United Church of Christ  and continued to be a valued leader within the various Masonic Youth Organizations.

Betty was also very proud of her volunteer work with Travelers Aid at Metro Airport and Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) which provided her a variety of opportunities to share her love, joy and optimistic outlook on life.

These organizations not only benefitted from Betty's experience and wisdom, but she was also sought out for her skills as an organist, which continued up until a few months before her passing.

She was preceded in death by her loving husband John Hagerty and her brother James (Bus) Yarnovitch.  She is survived by her daughters Garnett (the late Michael) Raymond, Bonnie Graff and Debra Hagerty; her grandchildren Julie Ann Dunn (Josh Rodgers) and Brian (Jillian) Dunn; and great grandchildren Griffen Applebee, Talon Applebee, Alaina Dunn, Ethan Dunn, Nolan Rodgers, and Gavin Rodgers.

Betty was always astonished by how much the world had changed during her lifetime which started just after the first radio broadcast to being able to video chat with her family during the pandemic.

Betty was a light and loving presence to those who knew her and will be dearly missed by her family and friends.

Private services will be held at the Taylor Chapel of Howe-Peterson Funeral Home with a memorial to be planned at a future date. The Private Service will begin livestreaming on Tuesday, January 4th at 1:00 pm. To view the livestream, follow this link: Howe-Peterson Funeral Home & Cremation Services - YouTube

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Masonic Pathways at  https://www.michiganmasons.org/masonic-home/