Memories of Betty, My Mother
By Elena Guerrero Loveall

I met Betty, my later adopted mother, sometime in 1994, when her son Steve & I started dating.
Even though she lived in the unit above us and was always welcome to our home, she did not visit us to give us privacy. She was always kind and respectful.
In the beginning, she was not very affectionate. However, due to my loving nature, I always gave her a hug and a kiss. Later in life, she told me she could not imagine seeing me without embracing.
She was a meticulous person. She was always elegant & looking her best.
She enjoyed going to Kelly's restaurant for her birthday for abalone, a grasshopper & a martini. Steve was glad to take us to this celebration till they stopped serving abalone.
When Steve died, in the beginning of 2016, she asked to adopt me. The following July, we formally did so in a very uplifting ceremony in the Long Beach Court House. The judge even mentioned this was the kind of cases he liked.
Due to her macular degeneration disease, I started driving her everywhere, which made us have a closer relationship. Some of her favorite places to eat was George's dinner, Hoff's Hut, the Long Beach Cafe, as well as Baja Sonora, where she liked the shrimp tacos. She enjoyed food from Taco Bell, which she consumed often during her final months.
My mother was a knowledgeable person. She helped me comprehend words or issues I did not understand. She loved to read the Press Telegram daily, Touch, People, Enquirer and a variety of other magazines and books.
After she fell in Feb and the 2020 pandemic starting in March, she trusted me with her full-time home care. This brought us even closer as I was able to be with her most of my time.
Mother Betty, I know you are with your parents and son, Steve. You are greatly missed
SENDING YOU MY LOVE ALL THE WAY TO HEAVEN
Friday, January 29, 2021