Great-grandmother, lifelong reader, loved art, literature and music

Longtime Claremont resident Betty Lorraine Frampton died peacefully on January 17 with her family by her side. She was 94 years old.

Betty was born July 3, 1927 at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center to Guy and Gladys Musgrove. She lived in Pomona and Claremont for most of her early life with her younger brother Robert.

Besides spending time with her friends and family, some of her best memories of youth were spent riding her horse, Patches, through the orange groves of Pomona, and going to movies. She also cherished her time working at the Pomona library, where the voracious reader was hired at the age of 12.

Through all of the years and many moves she maintained close friendships with her friends going back as far as kindergarten, including her best friend, Dor Johnson, whose stories of their lives growing up together are now sweet family memories.

She attended Pomona High School, where she met her future husband Gail. They began dating just after graduation and were married July 2, 1949. They remained happily so for 69 years until his passing on June 4, 2018.

After living many years in the Claremont area, the couple moved to Westlake Village, California with their four children. They also lived in Mexico City, and after that, Mammoth Lakes, California. After her husband retired, they moved down the hill to Bishop, where they had a beautiful home overlooking the Sierra Nevada. Her final years were spent back in Claremont.

In many ways she was ahead of her time. Her interests included eastern philosophy, meditation, and civil rights. She was taking vitamins and was mindful of healthy eating long before most people ever adopted these now common practices. She always had a book by her side and loved to talk about literature, movies and art. Her family was often enlisted to accompany her to rock concerts, movies, art festivals and a variety of forward-thinking events. She was one of the original forces behind the creation of the Sierra Summer Festival, a music event in Mammoth.

She loved the beach and spent many wonderful summers with family at Balboa Island.  Later she enjoyed annual trips to Maui to read on the beach and spend time with family and friends. She was also a very good tennis player and an avid tennis fan.

“Most of all, Betty was an amazing wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt and friend,” her family shared. “Most people think she was the most positive, caring person they have ever met. One niece said, ‘Aunt Betty didn’t just look on the bright side, she was the bright side.’ Betty would say, ‘I made a choice at a young age to be positive and look at the bright side like my dad,’ followed with a laugh and smile.”

While still living in Bishop she was interviewed by the local newspaper. In regards to her life she said, “I am extremely grateful; can you underline extremely?”

She is survived by her children, Cory and his wife Patty, Kevin and his partner Sandra, Darcy and her husband Lance, and Chad and his wife Kristen; grandchildren Caroline and her husband Ehrich, Erik and his wife Samantha, and Alec, Jordan and Ali; and great grandchildren Audra and Jack. She also leaves behind her sister-in-law, Sylvia Musgrove, many nieces and nephews, their children and extended families. She loved them all so much.

A celebration of life will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 21 at the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach. Betty will be laid to rest next to her husband Gail at the Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery in Riverside, California.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to For 4 Paws at http://for4pawsmammoth.org/donate/, or by check to P.O. Box 1889, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546, or For His Children at https://forhischildren.salsalabs.org/donate/index.html.