Betsy passed away on Monday, January 18, 2021 due to COVID and underlying conditions. She was born in Pasadena in 1932 to Dr. and Mrs. Ernest Hayward Swift. She went to local schools until high school when she attended Chadwick School in Rolling Hills. It was there that she met the young man Mortimer Allen Kline, Jr., who she would later marry. She attended Stephens College in Colombia, Missouri and the University of California at Berkeley where she was Pi Beta Phi. She and Mort were married in 1954 and made their first home in Golden, Colorado where he was studying for his Master’s Degree in Petroleum Geology. Upon graduating they returned to Pasadena where they were to reside for the next nine years and give birth to their two children, Sandra Kerry and Mortimer III.
Betsy was active in the Junior League of Pasadena and the Junior Philharmonic. In 1966 Mort took his oil companies, Kline Oil Co. and Kline Exploration to Canada and the family moved to Calgary, Alberta. Betsy resumed her work with the Junior League there, serving on the Board for three years and was also active in the children’s school. In 1973 they returned to the states and settled in West Los Angeles. By then Betsy was a Sustainer in the Junior League of Los Angeles. She enjoyed the Westside Readers group, and was a member of Les Amies, a support group of the Colleagues. She was also in the Bel-Air Garden Club. She was pre-deceased by her husband, and in her later years moved to Casa Dorinda in Montecito. She leaves her children, plus 4 grandchildren, Lindsay, Samantha, Kiera, and Palmer. The family would like to acknowledge the great care from Dr. William Koonce and his medical staff. There will be only a private family service.
In lieu of flowers please send a donation to your favorite charity.
