Betty Ann Lane
June 4, 1938 – August 6, 2022

Betty Ann Lane, 84, of Naples, FL, passed away on August 6, 2022. She was born to parents Owen and Kathleen Shevlin, on June 4, 1938, in Brooklyn, NY.

Betty met William Lane (Her Bill) in 1957. They were married on April 7, 1958, in Brooklyn, NY. Together they raised 4 children: Laurie, Billy, Garry and Patti.

Betty worked as a Vice President in Banking for 20 years. After her retirement she worked with her daughter Patti in daycare and loved on so many little ones through the years. They will always remember Booma’s cuddles.

Betty & Bill created a life that most people would be jealous of. She often used the phrase “All because two people fell in love” They spent summers vacationing in the Poconos and Fire Island and planned multiple block parties raising their children on East 15th street. They were always surrounded by friends and family celebrating anything and everything. Betty used to joke that if you sneezed 3 times in a row, we should have a party. Betty & Bill’s children will tell everyone that they had the best childhood and only the best memories because their parents provided a house full of love. They had instilled so many qualities in their children that they would take and raise their own families in love.

Betty is best known for her love of her family. She loved them all unconditionally and fiercely. She was proud of them and the adults that they became.

Laurie was her first-born child. She gave Betty & Bill so much joy and they called her Little Miss Laurie Sunshine because her smile was brighter than the sun. Through the years they spent as much time together as they could traveling, shopping, celebrating and doing whatever they could to be together. Laurie blessed her parents with the first of many grandchildren. She enjoyed traveling with Laurie and her grandchildren so much. After Laurie’s sudden and untimely death Betty was never the same. Her heart was completely shattered, and she ached for her every day of her life until her very own last breath.

Billy is her first son and she lovingly called him her Billy Boy. She always sang “Where have you gone Billy Boy, Billy Boy” to him. Billy never lived far from his mom for too long, she said he was the perfect mama’s boy and wouldn’t change it for anything. Billy made Betty laugh all the time especially with his sound effects. He was so comforting to her whenever she needed a hug. Betty believed in the power of touch and whenever Billy sat with her, he was always rubbing her back or touching her in some way. They had a beautiful relationship and shared so many things together. They went on so many trips together and created so many wonderful memories through the years.
Garry is her “Baby Boy” she has called him that for his whole life, every time he called her, she’d say “Hello my baby boy.” Her entire world brightened every time she heard his voice. No matter how many miles they lived from each other Betty always felt incredibly close to her baby boy. Anytime anything broke in her house he was the first person she thought of to come save the day. He has always been her “fix-it guy” whether it was a doorknob that needed tightening, or the car needed a tune up. For as long as he can remember, he has worked hard in his free time in order to make his parents proud. He says Betty and Bill are the reason he became such a responsible adult and truly learned how to lead a successful life because of them.

Patti is the baby of the family. Betty’s relationship with Patti was one that will live on long passed her days. It is one that could never be described in words. Betty cherished Patti in a way that all children should be by their mother and more. In any circumstance, fortunate or unfortunate, they were always each other’s first call. Throughout her entire life, Betty’s face always lit up when Patti entered the room. Betty acted as Patti’s rock in her darkest days. They lifted each other up and Patti has always said her mother was her biggest cheerleader. The days that they didn’t get to spend together were few and far between and if they weren’t together, they talked on the phone multiple times a day. They were not only a prime example of a beautiful relationship between Mother and Daughter, but they were also the very best of friends. Towards the end of her life, when Patti became Betty’s primary caretaker, above anything she was honored to be able to take care of her dear mother as Betty had taken care of her since the day she was born. Betty was the sun in Patti’s life, the center of her solar system. The love they shared for one another is one that will leave a mark on the earth eternally.

Betty loved her children spouses and had a very special relationship with each of them. They called themselves “The Outlaws” but truth is that Betty loved Elizabeth, Ed and Anne as if they were her own. She loved traveling with her LizzyTish and they shared so many trips together through the years. They never lived too far from each other for too long and Betty just adored her. Betty loved Ed’s humor and they always joked and teased each other. Ed stepped in when her boys couldn’t be here and helped her in every way. She knew that if she needed anything that Ed would be there. She felt so comforted by his kiss on her forehead, which was always reserved for him. She loved visiting Houston and always said that Anne was the best hostess and made her feel so welcomed. Betty loved receiving pictures and gifts from Anne all the time.

Betty absolutely ADORED her grandchildren.
From her daughter Laurie she was blessed with John, Erin, Kevin (her KJ) & Kaitie. She shared a beautiful relationship with each of them. She tried to fill the void of their mother, so she loved on them extra hard. Betty made an impact on each of their lives and was always there to provide love and support no matter what.
When Kaitie was born, she was a huge light in everyone’s life. Betty always sang to her “Kaitie McGrady, my lovely little lady.” Betty loved Kaitie’s devilish grin, bright red hair, and beautiful eyes. From the day she was born, Betty said that she was a gift. So much so, in fact, that Kaitie selflessly took on the role of caregiver to her grandma in the last year and a half and was an absolute godsend in Betty’s life. She thanked God for her every day and felt safe and loved and cared for daily. They loved to gossip together and enjoyed bonding over hair and makeup. Kaitie made sure that Grandma always had on her lipstick. They even had a special perfume that they shared. Kaitie is Laurie’s baby, and she stepped up in her mother’s shoes just how Laurie would have wanted it. Kaitie says that grandma will forever be her BFF.

Through her son Billy, she was blessed with so many beautiful grandchildren. Billy boy was the first, he was a bundle of energy from the moment he was born, and Betty loved his zest for life. She loved when he would send her music, and especially adored his rendition of “Hero.” Then came Christina Bina Bina, Betty loved her big rosy cheeks and beautiful eyes. She said she never saw a more beautiful baby. Christina was blessed to spend so much of her childhood with her and also traveling with her Grandma & Papa.

Emma was known by Betty as UberEmma. They would often go on drives together and Emma was her means of transportation for many years when she stopped driving. They got to spend so much time together. Emma visited Betty as much as she possibly could. They were always roomies anytime they went on a cruise together. Emma credits her grandma for her sense of humor, as they would often joke around with each other until their stomachs hurt from laughing. Emma always got Betty’s blood pumping from her many scare pranks she’s done to her over the years. Emma says that no matter what, her grandma always had her back and made her feel completely comfortable. The memories they share are truly endless and Emma will hold on to them for the rest of her life.

Thomas was a true joy in Betty’s life, she always talked about how he would just pop in with his friends and come over to help her with household chores. He was a true showman and loved being in the spotlight. Betty had so many wonderful memories and spent so much time with him laughing and joking up until his tragic death at 17. She kept his memory alive through pictures and talking about him all the time. She would talk about him to anyone that would listen. A highlight for her was when he sang God Bless America as a little boy and how he would sing her song for Kathleen to Kathleen, he even sang it on stage on a cruise ship.

Kathleen and Betty loved having tea parties together. Betty blessed her with the name Kathleen Laura after her mother and her daughter. She would always sing “Kathleen Laura, Kathleen Laura, I fell in love the minute I saw her” which she made up herself because she said it was love at first sight, as it was with all her grandchildren. Kathleen says she feels like the luckiest person on the planet to have gotten the chance to spend so much time with her beloved Grandmother, her “Gram.” Their bond and the laughter they shared is something she will remember forever.

Brooklyn is their youngest and Betty always said that she was a true gift given to the family by her Bill. She came at a time when the family needed to redirect their loss from losing “the greatest man that ever lived” to hearts full of love for this beautiful baby. Betty felt so lucky that they moved to Florida to be close, and she was able to watch Brooklyn grow up in front of her eyes for 10 years. She especially loved that Brooklyn was named after her hometown that she loved so much.

Although she didn’t get to spend much time with Christopher and Devin, she never stopped thinking of them and loving them. She kept their picture up and was proud to be their grandma.

Garry gave her “bonus” grandchildren, 3 beautiful girls Araka, Laura & Nicole. She loved being able to spend time with them when they visited in NY and when Betty went to Texas. She loved all 3 girls as her own grandchildren and never liked the word “step” she said they “stepped” right into her heart.

Joey is Patti’s oldest son, he was Betty’s “my Joey”. They shared a bond that was forever unbreakable. The love was felt every second they spent together and every second they were apart. Joey says that the love shared between them was unlike any other bond that’s been formed, the love was so strong. The appreciation, admiration, joy, comfort and happiness was always there and always was at the forefront of every interaction. Joey had the honor to be the last one to share his love, to kiss her head, and to be the one to help her release herself to begin her next adventure. “It’s okay grandma, you don’t have to be afraid, you can rest now.”

Danny is Patti’s youngest son and stepped up to take care of Betty during the day. She loved that he was there every day when she woke up. Danny says some days she would wake up with tears in her eyes because of how excited she was to see him. Danny and Betty had a special bond that no one could break. She introduced him to his love of Diet Coke, since she always had a bottle of it by her side. Despite everything she went through in the last few years, she still knew exactly how to comfort him in times of need. When he introduced Betty to his girlfriend Kendall, she loved her as one of her own. From the very first day, Betty vowed she would be the flower girl in their wedding and wear a lavender dress. Every time she saw Danny and Kendall together, she mentioned how much she loved their love. Betty said they reminded her of herself and her husband – which is the highest compliment anyone can receive. Even though Kendall wasn’t her grandchild by blood, Betty loved her with all her heart. “Family is anyone who loves you unconditionally.”

Mike is a “bonus” grandson as well, she loved him from the day she met him and cherished all the time she was able to spend with him in NY until he went into the Air Force. She was so proud because her brother Bobby had also been in the Air Force. She often said that her grandson was in the Air Force just like her brother, making it her favorite branch of the Armed Forces.

Betty had so many great grandchildren as well. In fact, she had 19, Rylee, Ryan, Cameron, Liam, Brayden, Delaney, Scarlet, Toby, William, Vinny, Gianna, Alessis, Juliana, Aysha, Azim, Zayd, Madison, Amelia, and Keira . She didn’t get to spend as much time with most of them due to distance but they were always in her heart, and she was proud to tell everyone how many she had. She was blessed to have a very close relationship with two of them, Liam and Brayden. She was there to help Kaitie give birth to Liam. She said it was the most amazing experience of her life to witness her “baby’s baby give birth to her first baby.” She didn’t get to witness her own births because they didn’t do that back in the day but was completely HONORED to have been there to assist in Liam’s birth. She was blessed to have these boys live with her in her last year and a half and watching them play and grow was a highlight of her life. She would joke and say that Liam was the best babysitter because he always watched to make sure she used her walker and got her drinks and snacks.

Betty loved life, loved traveling and spending time with her family and friends more than anything. So much so that she created a group with all her friends called the Shady Ladies. She is the Queen Shady. They traveled together for 10 years on cruises and to Club Med. They had numerous get togethers through the years and even though she was the oldest lady there no one ever made her feel that way. They honored her as their Queen. She was the life of the party and especially loved when her daughter Patti told stories about her to the girls. She loved being the butt of the joke. She knew everyone would laugh and that is all she wanted was to make people happy. If you were loved by Betty, you were certainly lucky, because she loved you forever.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Bill, her daughter Laurie, her grandson Thomas and all her siblings Colleen, Owen, Bobby, Rosemary, Irene and Janie. Betty loved her brothers and sisters dearly and had a beautiful unique relationship with each of them.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Betty’s name.
https://www.stjude.org/
(877) 943-8430