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IN LOVING MEMORY OF Betty Jane Blalock
Betty Jane
Blalock
Mar 20, 1924 — Sep 17, 2016
Betty Jane Blalock's Obituary
Betty Jane McDonald Blalock of Fredericksburg, Texas passed to the kingdom of Heaven on September 17, 2016 at the age of 92. She had a life full of purpose, love, adventure and relentless charity. Born in Fort Worth, Texas March 20, 1924 to Jay Haas and Elsie Irene McDonald, Betty was a graduate of Riverside High School and attended Texas Woman's College (now Texas Wesleyan University) of Fort Worth. Her mother and grandfather were very involved in local political circles and Betty always retained an interest in politics. The McDonald family was active in various Fort Worth community organizations and were members of the Riverside Baptist Church. In the spring of 1945, Betty enlisted in United States Navy and was commissioned as a Pharmacist's Mate Third Class assigned to active duty at the U.S. Naval Hospital, Quantico, Virginia.
Shortly after the war's end, on a military flight from Washington, D.C. to Fort Worth, she met her future husband, Hugh M. Blalock, then a Flight Engineer, United States Air Force serving with the 1100 th Special Air Missions Group, 1111 th Special Air Missions Squadron located at Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D.C. They were married in August of 1946, and subsequently posted to various Air Force stations, including Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas, Dover AFB, Dover, Delaware, and Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California. Following her husband's retirement from active military duty in 1966, the family relocated to Bangkok, Thailand where her husband worked for Air America, a government-contracted airline. During the Vietnam War, Air America flight crews inserted and extracted US personnel from in-theater military operations, provided logistical support to the Royal Lao Army and combatant Thai volunteer forces, and flew photo reconnaissance missions that provided intelligence on North Vietnamese activities. Its civilian-marked craft were frequently used, under the control of the Seventh/Thirteenth Air Force, to launch search and rescue missions for US pilots downed throughout Southeast Asia. Betty was most proud of being an Air Force wife and supporting our country.
It was in Bangkok that Betty realized her dream of helping children by founding and teaching at several Bangkok kindergarten schools for children of international backgrounds. She was an inspirational leader and innovative educator who delighted in helping others, especially the under privileged children and refugees of war torn Vietnam and Laos. In 1974, following her husband's retirement, the couple had the opportunity to travel internationally, with trips to Europe, Greece, Israel, North Africa, and India. She was the guest at the palace of one of India's last maharajas, in Amedabad, the former capital of the state of Gujarat. The couple eventually moved to Hurst, Texas where she resided until her husband's death in July of 1981.
In 2006, after stays in Las Vegas, Nevada and Kona, Hawaii, she moved to Fredericksburg, Texas. Betty was an active member of the WWII Veterans Association and contributor to the Wounded Warrior Project charity. As her daughter Linda Blalock noted, "she was courageous and brave in her generosity and support of American Veterans." She received a special Commendation of Appreciation for outstanding support of the Fort Sam Houston Women's History Month Special in March of 2012 from the United States Army Recruiting Command. In 2013, she was selected to be part of the United States Honor Flight group from Fredericksburg/Austin, a special World War II related mission to transport senior veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit their memorials dedicated to honor their service and sacrifices and return them home to their families and loved ones. On the day she died, Betty was scheduled to participate in the Nimitz Foundation's 2016 symposium We Served Too: Women in National Security at the Fredericksburg Theater .
She is survived by her brother, Jay Hugh MacDonald (Fort Worth, TX), three children, Mack Hugh Blalock (New Braunfels, TX), Linda Rosanne Blalock (Fredericksburg,TX), and Jane Wolfe Littlejohn (Fredericksburg,TX); three grandchildren Bejan, Shane and Tyler Fozdar. Betty was preceded in death by her parents, one brother, Homer McDonald, and one sister, Joanne Reilland.
Memorials may be made to Fredericksburg Salutes Our Wounded Warriors or to the charity of choice.
Shortly after the war's end, on a military flight from Washington, D.C. to Fort Worth, she met her future husband, Hugh M. Blalock, then a Flight Engineer, United States Air Force serving with the 1100 th Special Air Missions Group, 1111 th Special Air Missions Squadron located at Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D.C. They were married in August of 1946, and subsequently posted to various Air Force stations, including Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas, Dover AFB, Dover, Delaware, and Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California. Following her husband's retirement from active military duty in 1966, the family relocated to Bangkok, Thailand where her husband worked for Air America, a government-contracted airline. During the Vietnam War, Air America flight crews inserted and extracted US personnel from in-theater military operations, provided logistical support to the Royal Lao Army and combatant Thai volunteer forces, and flew photo reconnaissance missions that provided intelligence on North Vietnamese activities. Its civilian-marked craft were frequently used, under the control of the Seventh/Thirteenth Air Force, to launch search and rescue missions for US pilots downed throughout Southeast Asia. Betty was most proud of being an Air Force wife and supporting our country.
It was in Bangkok that Betty realized her dream of helping children by founding and teaching at several Bangkok kindergarten schools for children of international backgrounds. She was an inspirational leader and innovative educator who delighted in helping others, especially the under privileged children and refugees of war torn Vietnam and Laos. In 1974, following her husband's retirement, the couple had the opportunity to travel internationally, with trips to Europe, Greece, Israel, North Africa, and India. She was the guest at the palace of one of India's last maharajas, in Amedabad, the former capital of the state of Gujarat. The couple eventually moved to Hurst, Texas where she resided until her husband's death in July of 1981.
In 2006, after stays in Las Vegas, Nevada and Kona, Hawaii, she moved to Fredericksburg, Texas. Betty was an active member of the WWII Veterans Association and contributor to the Wounded Warrior Project charity. As her daughter Linda Blalock noted, "she was courageous and brave in her generosity and support of American Veterans." She received a special Commendation of Appreciation for outstanding support of the Fort Sam Houston Women's History Month Special in March of 2012 from the United States Army Recruiting Command. In 2013, she was selected to be part of the United States Honor Flight group from Fredericksburg/Austin, a special World War II related mission to transport senior veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit their memorials dedicated to honor their service and sacrifices and return them home to their families and loved ones. On the day she died, Betty was scheduled to participate in the Nimitz Foundation's 2016 symposium We Served Too: Women in National Security at the Fredericksburg Theater .
She is survived by her brother, Jay Hugh MacDonald (Fort Worth, TX), three children, Mack Hugh Blalock (New Braunfels, TX), Linda Rosanne Blalock (Fredericksburg,TX), and Jane Wolfe Littlejohn (Fredericksburg,TX); three grandchildren Bejan, Shane and Tyler Fozdar. Betty was preceded in death by her parents, one brother, Homer McDonald, and one sister, Joanne Reilland.
Memorials may be made to Fredericksburg Salutes Our Wounded Warriors or to the charity of choice.
To send flowers or plant a memorial tree in memory, please visit our flower store.
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