Elisabeth Ann "Betsy" Manini

Elisabeth "Betsy" Ann Klemens Manini, of Walnut Creek, CA, died on September 14, 2024. She was 77.
Betsy was born on July 9, 1947, in Gary, Indiana, to Virginia Lois Klemens and Francis Joseph Klemens, as one of six children. Because of her father's career as a traveling salesman, Elisabeth and her brothers and sisters had to change schools with some frequency, mostly in and around upstate New York. She always had fond childhood memories of summers spent on the shores of Lake Erie, and the joy and chaos of growing up in a large family.
At age 16, Betsy won a scholarship competition to participate in the American Field Service, an international student exchange. Fate sent her to San Juan, Argentina, where she met her future husband Hugo A. Manini. Upon returning to the States, she earned a full scholarship to Chatham College through her academic excellence. But after one year, the pain of separation proved too much, and she and Hugo were married in Pittsburgh, PA at Heinz Chapel. They moved to Argentina for four years, where they welcomed their daughter, Emy. In 1970, they moved back to the States, settling in the Chicago area, where two more children were born, sons Hugh and Alex. Finally, moving to California in support of her husband's career, Elisabeth raised her children in Walnut Creek.
Betsy was always a devoted student and a voracious reader, so as her children got a little older and were able to attend school, she pursued a bachelor's degree in English literature, graduating from the University of California at Berkeley. She was very proud of her 15-year career as a textbook editor, first at ICC and then McGraw-Hill Publishing.
Like her father Frank and all her siblings, Betsy adored music. She was a talented guitarist and banjo player and had a beautiful voice that she used in choir, practicing Handel's Messiah for her children to enjoy. She cherished her five grandchildren, filling her own home with toys and games for them when they visited. In her later years she became an avid knitter, crafting treasures for her children and grandchildren.
She is survived by her husband of 58 years, Hugo, her three children and five grandchildren, Paul, Rosa, Jackson, Lyla, and Miranda. She is also survived by her brother Jim, and sister Karolyn. Elisabeth was a beloved wife, sister, mother, and grandmother. We will miss her laughter, her silliness and humor, her pride in all of us, and her tender heart.