Donald Allan Betterly

Donald Allan Betterly died on March 16, 2026. He was 83.

Don was born in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania on May 9, 1942, and grew up in the surrounding areas of Reading and Wayne. After graduating from Exeter High School he attended University of Pennsylvania and Bloomfield College. Don subsequently attended Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI and was an officer in the US Navy, stationed in Honolulu, HI. Following his successful discharge, he went on to receive an MBA at University of Hawaii.

It was in Hawaii where Don met his wife, Paulina Jill Betterly (née Stevens). They were married at the Pearl Harbor Submarine Base in September 1967, and were loving partners until Jill’s death in 2015. Don and Jill lived on Oahu until 1980, during which time they had four children–Dawn, Steve, Suzy, and Jill. They moved to Mountain View, California in part to be closer to Jill’s family. Their lives were often soundtracked by Don’s favorite music of his youth and the 50’s and 60’s – including the Beach Boys, Don Ho, and Don Shirley.

Don had a long career focused largely in computer programming, working for various organizations including Hawaiian Trust and IBM. In 1990 Don took a job with National Semiconductor / Motorola which brought him and his family to Scottsdale, Arizona, where he lived until his retirement in 2008. Hawaii always loomed large in Don and Jill’s minds. The family would vacation there every chance they got, and when Don retired he and Jill moved back to Maui, where they stayed until Jill’s death in 2015. Don spent the last years of his life near his children in Southern California, living in North County San Diego.

Don is survived by his children: Dawn Friedland, Steve Betterly, Suzy Koller, and Jill Tennent. He had 7 grandchildren: Viktor, Jackie, Connor, Scott, Will, Cooper, and Owen. He is predeceased by his parents, Paul V Betterly and Marian Betterly ….


A pau hana celebration will be held at Jake’s Del Mar on 3/29/26.


The family wishes to thank the staff of Chateau San Marcos and Santianna Carlsbad for their thoughtful care.