Cuddy, Betti

Longtime Alaskan pioneer Betti Cuddy, 85, died peacefully Jan. 
13, 2010, at home surrounded by her family.

A service will be announced at a later date. 

She was born Betti Puckett on July 21, 1924, in O'Neill, Neb. 
Upon graduation from Doane University, she taught high school 
biology, English and Spanish. In the early '40s, she moved to 
Seattle, where she began her career at the Bank of California. She 
met the love of her life, Dan Cuddy, on a blind date and the love 
grew into a marriage that lasted 62 years. 

In 1948, Dan and Betti were married and spent their honeymoon 
driving to Anchorage via the new Alaska Highway. 

They built a life in Anchorage, where she was extremely 
involved in community activities. 

Betti was the consummate teacher. She strove to provide 
opportunities for the children of Anchorage to learn and grow. 
She founded the organization Treasures of Sight and Sound 
(TOSS), which was a precursor to community schools and paved 
the way for local theater productions. She continued to be a 
prolific patron of Anchorage arts, especially the theater, and 
served as a board member of Alaska Center for the Performing 
Arts. 

The community recognized Betti with many awards, such as the 
Gold Pan Award in 1972. 

Anchorage directly benefited from her energy and drive with the 
development of the Lucy Cuddy Center at the University of 
Alaska Anchorage and the Cuddy Midtown Park. 

Betti was an avid tennis player well into her 80s. She treasured 
the time and adventures she had with "The Tennis Girls."

Betti always said that her most important role was that of a wife 
and mother.

Betti is survived by her husband, Dan; their six children and their 
spouses, Betsy and David Lawer, David and Kathy Cuddy, 
Gretchen Cuddy, Jane and Gary Klopfer, Lucy and Mark Mahan, 
and Laurel and Fred Stutzer; many grandchildren; and three 
nieces and their families. 

Published in adn.com from January 14 to January 15, 2010