Betsy Battle Hobbs

Betsy Battle HOBBS Age 81, journalist, rare book dealer and collector, died peacefully October 29, 2008 after a long, courageous battle with carcinoid cancer. Born November 10, 1926, in Las Vegas, New Mexico, Betsy was the daughter of Jessie Evans and William Plummer Battle. She grew up in Cleburne, Texas and graduated from the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Journalism degree. Betsy worked as a feature writer and editor on papers in Texas and the Hawaii Advertiser in Honolulu, where she met and married fellow journalist, Allen F. Hobbs, in Hawaii in 1954. In 1954, Betsy and Allen moved to Seattle's Shorewood neighborhood where their three children were born. In 1980, Allen was transferred by the Boeing Company to Wichita, Kansas. Taking an early retirement, the couple moved to the Oregon coast to open a rare book business. Allen preceded her in death in 1993. Betsy moved to Kirkland, Washington and during that time, she wrote a family memoir, "Our Story: 1654 and We're in America", and continued to travel extensively. Betsy then moved to Issaquah, Washington earlier this year where she died. In 1999, Mrs. Hobbs donated 1,100 Native American children's books from her private collection to the University of Washington Library. The collection of 19th and 20th century material had been collected over several decades and included spectacular examples of pop-ups and movables. With the Hobbs' gift, the library owns more than 70 percent of all Northwest Indian Children's literature. She is survived by three children: Andrew Battle Hobbs (Tracy Rieflin) of Africa and Scotland, Polly Hobbs Newman (John Newman), of Jupiter, Florida, and Ellen Hobbs Kawaguchi (Brent Kawaguchi) of Issaquah; and five grandchildren, Arlo Hobbs, Robert Newman, Katherine Newman, Mitchell Kawaguchi, and Cory Kawaguchi. Betsy's family extends a warm appreciation to family and friends for their kind support during Betsy's illness. A Celebration of Betsy's Life will be held November 10th at 3 p.m. at Pogacha's Restaurant, 120 NW Gilman Blvd. in Issaquah. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the National Trust for Historical Preservation, Salvation Army, and the Eastside Domestic Violence Program.