Obituary
Kathy Jeanine Aguayo Bettin, 69, passed away peacefully in her sleepon January 11, 2024, in Orlando, Florida while in the care and company of her husband and the AdventHealth Hospice team. She fought her lung cancer for nearly a year and a half before leaving us.
Kathy was born in Jacksonville, Florida on October 11, 1954, and grew up in Tampa, Florida, the daughter of her adoptive parents, Aristides Anthony Aguayo, and Myrtle Lucille Lowe Aguayo, both deceased. She is survived by her husband John Bettin, their daughter Emily Bettin, and her brother, Stephen Aguayo.
Kathy graduated with honors from Leto High School in Tampa, Florida in 1972; she was the class valedictorian. She attended the University of Florida for a short time before hitchhiking to Mexico to explore the world; upon her return to the United States, she met her future husband John, also a hitchhiker, in Tucson, Arizona. They became travelling partners, fell in love, and married in 1975 in Atlanta, Georgia; they were married 48 years. Kathy gave birth to Emily in 1981. Prior to her role as full-time mother, she worked as a salesperson, waitress, hostess, and bank teller; one of her first jobs was as a “crepe girl” at Magic Pan, where she was drawn to the cute uniform and the promise of being the center of attention – she was quick to quit once she discovered the job also entailed making some 30 gallons of crepe batter every day. She was an active volunteer at Emily’s schools in Kansas City, Missouri and Washington, DC. A talented seamstress, she made all of Emily’s Halloween costumes as well as smocking and sewing her special dresses for major holidays. She was the architect of wonderful family vacations, and treasured Christmas with all its glory and traditions. Kathy was a child of the seventies, enjoying dancing (she was good) and music, especially Laura Nyro and Joni Mitchell.
During her life, Kathy lived in 9 different cities, but it was Chicago, Illinois, where she lived for 20 years, that she absolutely fell in love with, despite the weather. It was there that she made the best friends of her life, friends that became family, manifesting itself in so many ways: an epic European cruise together, an iconic group photo at the Sears family portrait gallery, Thanksgiving dinners, Super Bowl and Citizenship parties, fierce game and card nights, and a monumental visit to the American Girl Place with the next generation.
Kathy had an amazing, crazy, quirky personality that people were drawn to, one of a lovely kind. Her big smile, laughter, and great sense of humor brought joy to so many. She lit up a room like no other and was usually the last to go to bed when friends gathered, encouraging the remaining few to have “just one more splash” of wine. Kathy really enjoyed and embraced life. She was a walking encyclopedia of both useful and useless facts, although she’d be the first to tell you, “there is no such thing as a useless fact!”; because of this wide range of knowledge, many often asked themselves, when faced with decisions large and small, “what would Kathy do?” She was a great conversationalist, never shy to offer her honest, frank, no nonsense opinion regarding just about anything. She was a champion of women’s rights and civil rights, and fearless when confronted with injustice of either; she was also the fiercest defender of her family and her friends. She was vivacious, kind, generous, wise in her own way, and welcoming to all. She was a sparkle of goodness, and a wonderful human being. We will miss her, oh so very much!
The family has decided not to have a formal service or memorial. In lieu of flowers may we suggest donations to the International Association for Hospice & Palliative Care, a worthy cause that helps people like Kathy during their final days with us.
Leave a reply