Betty Mae Emerson, a former 46-year resident of Pacific Palisades, died on November 22 at the age of 82. Born in Ohio on May 8, 1924, Betty moved to California with her older brother Bobby and her parents, Saul and Ida Klein, when she was a little girl. They settled in Hollywood, where Betty attended Cherimoya Elementary School and Hollywood High. She followed her brother to UCLA, but transferred after one year to UC Berkeley, where she met her husband, Donald Emerson. Betty and Donald both graduated and married in 1946. Their daughter, Nancy, was born six years later. While Donald was doing his master’s at Stanford, The Rand Corporation hired him and the family moved to Los Angeles, then to Santa Monica. The Emersons bought a large view lot on Quadro Vecchio in Castellammare in 1951 and their “Casa” was finished in 1952. “My parents created a wonderful home, so sweet with beautiful furniture and a cute playhouse my Dad built for me,” Nancy Emerson recalled last week. “They planted a wonderful tree for me to climb in, and we enjoyed 360-degree views of the ocean, the city and snow-capped mountains.” Betty had a wide range of interests and skills, including interior design and real estate sales (from Malibu to Brentwood in the 1960s and early ’70s), modeling and acting (as Maria Del Mar), and helping the homeless. She was a delegate for John Kennedy at the 1960 Democratic Convention in Los Angeles and later worked at the Getty Villa. “My parents went their separate ways when I was six,” said their daughter. Betty remained in the Palisades until 1999, when she moved to the seaside city of Carlsbad. She loved Hawaii and craved visits to Oahu, where her daughter Nancy is a professional surfer and surf instructor. “My mum loved to swim in the ocean, walk along the beach, collect shells, play tennis, and go to the horse races and car races,” Nancy said. “She adored art-show openings, going to her Hollywood High reunions, traveling the world, and visiting the Laguna Design Center. ‘She was truly a giver to the needy and cared very much for her fellow man.’ In addition to her daughter, who lives in Coolangatta, Queensland, Australia, and works in Hawaii, Betty is survived by her nephews, Robert Nicholas Klein II, Jeffery Klein, Fletcher Klein, Jordan Klein and Robert Klein; and nieces Lauren Klein and Ali Klein. She also leaves her adopted niece Alison Golway and her adopted daughter Nancy Hathaway. A celebration of Betty’s life was held on the beach in Carlsbad, then at Castle Rock beach in the Palisades, where dolphins, seals and pelicans visited.
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