O’MALLEY, Betty Ann (Robinson) – of Davison, MI, age 90, passed away on Sunday, March 10, 2024, at Symphony Linden. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 1 PM Monday, March 18, 2024, at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 404 North Dayton Street, Davison, MI 48423; Rev. Fr. Dieudonne Ntakarutimana celebrant. Interment will take place following the Mass at St. John Catholic Cemetery. The family will receive visitors 11 AM-1 PM on Monday, March 18, 2024, at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Burton Senior Priest Housing, checks payable to the Diocese of Lansing.
Betty was born in Detroit, MI, daughter of Henry and Marguerite (Seelau) Robinson. She married William O’Malley on June 9, 1956, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Dexter, MI, having met Christmas day on the local ice-skating pond. Betty was a loving wife and mother of five daughters.
Betty worked in medical records at both McLaren and Hurley hospitals before graduating from Mott Community College with degrees in gerontology and social work. She did pioneering research in the use of humor with the elderly, authoring two books, Medical Mirth and Levity for Longevity, and was instrumental in establishing a humor program at Gilda’s Club in Detroit. Betty frequented humor conferences as both a speaker and participant. She was a member of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor since 1998.
Betty is survived by her husband, William; children; Kathleen (Tom) Iberle, Mary Lou O’Malley, Eileen (Joe) Terranova, Margaret “Peggy” (Ken) Ware, and Sharon Angel, nine grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren; many other loving family members and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents and her three sisters.