Betty Ticho, who founded the Los Angeles County Epilepsy Society (LACES) in 1957 and served as its executive director for 30 years, died after a brief illness on May 29 at Santa Monica Hospital, surrounded by family and friends. She was 89. A Pacific Palisades resident for about 50 years, Ticho served as a script consultant for various television productions involving epilepsy, such as the 1985 ‘Special Friend’ episode of ‘Diff’rent Strokes.’ She also appeared on the radio, issued press releases that resulted in numerous newspaper articles, and spoke to many organizations to raise awareness about epilepsy. ‘Mrs. Ticho has a special place in the hearts of many who knew her over many years, and thousands more who, know it or not, have benefited from her work to found and build the L.A. County Epilepsy Society so many years ago,’ noted Susan Pietsch-Escueta, executive director of the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles. Ticho recruited countless volunteers to work alongside her staff as they provided services and support to people with epilepsy, raised funds for research, and educated the public’reducing the stigma associated with the condition. The daughter of Frank and Sara Tullis, Betty was born December 18, 1920, in Louisville, Kentucky. Her younger sister, Marji Bentley, recalled, ‘She inherited our mother’s musical aptitude and our father’s artistic talent.’ As a teenager, she won two Junior Music Club piano awards and the Cowles Medal, played with the University of Louisville Philharmonic and performed for the governor of Kentucky. She also played the violin and the viola, as did her sister, and they would sometimes join their mother in a trio, with their mother playing the piano.) After the family moved to Chicago, Betty completed high school and then earned her B.A. and M.A. degrees in social work from the University of Chicago. She served as the fashion editor of the university’s Pulse magazine and earned money to assist in paying younger sister’s college expenses by making hats, doing fashion sketches and modeling. She moved to California when her husband, Harold Ticho, became a professor at UCLA. She worked at the Brentwood Veterans Administration Hospital, where she contracted tuberculosis. She and Harold divorced in the mid-1960s. Active in the Pacific Palisades Democratic Club, Ticho also joined the efforts to restore the carousel on Santa Monica Pier. She was a cat lover and enjoyed tending to her ‘farm’ of ping-pong tomatoes, strawberries, limes and herbs. In addition to her sister, Marji Bentley (husband Richard), Ticho is survived by her nephew Rev. Richard Bentley, Jr.; nieces Beth and Martha Bentley; and honorary sons John Tobias and John (Jesse) Sovella. Her family extends special appreciation to the staff of Salus Home Care who cared for her as if she were a beloved relative. A memorial gathering will be held in Pacific Palisades on Sunday, June 27, at 2:30 p.m. Contact gathering4betty@gmail.com or call Rev. Bentley at (626) 261-1428 for the location. Memorial contributions may be sent to The Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles, Meals on Wheels West, Richard and Marji Bentley Music Scholarship Endowment at Texas Women’s University or PFLAG.
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