Elizabeth Wright "Betty" Nimitz

1923 - 2021

Betty Nimitz, 98, died peacefully in her sleep on October 4, 2021, the culmination of an amazing and fulfilling life. Betty was born, the youngest of four children, in Washington D.C. on September 5, 1923 to Clarence and Leslie Wright. She grew up in Washington. On the eve of the Second World War, she attended St. Margaret's School in Tappahannock and afterwards worked at the Library of Congress, in Boston at M.I.T. on projects involving assessment of the Army Air Corps' strategic bombing of Europe, and at a small Washington travel agency. She traveled by steamship to Honolulu in 1949 to visit her older brother and found great joy and adventure in the islands. She decided to stay and took a job with Matson Lines. She relished sharing stories of traveling the lovely and non-commercialized islands with her roommates and friends. Betty met her future husband, Charlie Nimitz, a young Naval Officer stationed aboard a small minesweeper while in Hawaii. They were married in Washington after his return from the Korean War and raised four sons. A Navy assignment brought the family to Virginia Beach in 1960 where, except for a two-year stint in Key West FL, she lived for the rest of her life. Betty was active in many social circles. She was a parishioner and volunteer at Galilee Episcopal Church and volunteered at the Old Coast Guard Station Museum. She loved her work with the Cavalier Garden Club and later served as President of the Virginia Beach Council of Garden Clubs. For her many years of service and participation she was recognized in the Permanent Record Book of Honor of the Cavalier Garden Club and was awarded honorary life membership in the Virginia Federation of Garden Clubs.

Her husband died in 1990. She remained a neighborhood icon until moving to assisted living in December 2020. Betty's predictable daily routine consisted of tending her gardens, maintaining the appearance of her lawn, and taking lengthy walks on the beach and through the neighborhood. All who knew her were blessed by lasting friendship. She was independent in many ways yet thrived as a host for her expanding family. She is survived by four sons and four wonderful daughters-in-law [Charlie (Carol) of Wilson NC, Steve (Gail) of Virginia Beach, Paul (Keri) of Glen Allen VA, and Tom (Paulette) of Chesapeake], thirteen grandchildren, and thirteen great-grandchildren. Their lives were guided and enriched by her loving hand.

A memorial service will be held at Galilee Episcopal Church at 3928 Pacific Ave in Virginia Beach on Friday, October 22 at 11a.m. Her remains will be interred at a later date in the family cemetery in Graniteville MA alongside her father and siblings. In lieu of flowers and for recognition of her love of everyone's dogs, the family suggests a donation in Betty's memory to the Virginia Beach SPCA (www.vbspca.com). Online condolences may be offered to the family at hdoliver.com.