|
It is with great sadness
that Betty Castleman passed away on August 16, 2007.She died peacefully, in her sleep, of the cancer that she has fought for twenty years.
The funeral was held at the First Methodist Church in Bogata, Texas on
Saturday, August 18, 2007. There was also a memorial service for her in Houston on August 20, 2007.
~ Betty Castleman ~
Elizabeth Marie Gill was born in Harlingen, Texas on August 27, 1944,
the only child of John W. Gill and Lena Mary Buffo Gill. She moved to Bogata, Texas at age two, where she grew up and graduated Bogata High School in 1962. At BHS she played clarinet in the band, and served as Student
Conductor, Majorette, and Drum Majorette.
She attended Paris Junior College and The University of Texas at Austin, where she majored in Interior Design, receiving a Bachelor's degree in 1966. While at UT she
served as President of the student chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers.
From August 27, 1966 until her death she was married to Ken Castleman, also a native of Bogata, Texas. The couple had no
children.
After graduation from UT, Betty worked as an interior designer at Gage Furniture Company, and later at Cabiness-Brown Furniture Company, both in Austin. In 1970 she moved with her husband to California,
where she worked as an interior designer at Barker Brothers Furniture Company in Los Angeles. Then she established her own firm, Castleman Interiors, in the Los Angeles area and managed it for several years. She was
active in the national organization of the American Society of Interior Designers, and was elected a fellow of that organization in 1992. She also taught interior design at Brooks College in Los Angeles.
In 1985
Betty and her husband moved to Friendswood, Texas, near Houston, where she worked as an interior designer and as a real estate agent. She served as Director of Design and construction for National Guest Homes in
Houston, opening 25 new assisted living facilities in eight years. She was also active in the Church of Scientology and the local homeowners association.
Betty Castleman passed away on August 16, 2007, ending a
brave twenty-year battle with cancer. She is survived by her husband, Ken, her aunt and uncle, Betty and Buck Ramsey of Bogata, her aunt Dorothy Gill of Bogata, her brother-in-law, Al Castleman of Midlothian, Texas, and
her two cousins, Michael Buffo of Collyville, Texas and John Buffo of Raymondville, Texas.
Betty was known for her buoyant personality, artistic creativity, helpful attitude, and problem-solving determination.
She was an inspiration to all who knew her, never letting her illness interfere with her life. She will be sorely missed by her family and her many friends, whose lives she touched so deeply. |
