Bettye Short

Bettye Louise Hutchinson Short, 83, of Austin, Texas, passed away on December 3, 2024. She was born on January 18, 1941, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to Frank and Ruth (Yentz) Hutchinson. A private inurnment was held at Memorial Park Cemetery on March 29, 2025, in honor of her life and legacy.

Bettye attended school in Fairview, Oklahoma, and later moved to Greenville, Texas, where her father, Frank Hutchinson, was the circulation manager of the Herald-Banner. She was an honor roll student and a 1959 graduate of Greenville High School, where she loved science and math and was a majorette. In 1960, she married Bob Findley and became the loving mother of two daughters, Deborah and Danette. After her marriage ended, Bettye moved with her parents to Garland, Texas, where she began her career as a receptionist and later as a clerk at Collins Radio, now Rockwell Collins.

It was during her time at Collins that she met and married her second husband, Jimmie Short. She later became a full-time mother and homemaker. Bettye enjoyed volunteer work, serving on the Altar Guild at both the Church of the Transfiguration and St. James Episcopal Church in Dallas. She loved helping others, assisting a refugee family in settling in the United States after the Vietnam War and volunteering for Meals on Wheels. Bettye also enjoyed camping and served as a Camp Fire Girls leader.

As her second marriage ended, Bettye reentered the workforce. She became the bookkeeper for a nonprofit rehabilitation program, where she formed lasting friendships and deepened her passion for helping others. This experience inspired her to continue her education, and she graduated with honors in accounting from the University of Texas at Dallas. However, Bettye's true calling was counseling. She went on to earn a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Counseling from North Texas State University and became a licensed marriage and family therapist. Over the years, she worked in several capacities, including as a psychotherapist in an adolescent psychiatric hospital, a parent coordinator for a substance abuse program, and later as a psychotherapist in Corpus Christi and Austin.

Bettye enjoyed living independently in her Austin home for nearly 20 years, where she indulged her love of bargain hunting and her eye for one-of-a-kind treasures found at garage sales and thrift shops. She was an avid reader with a large collection of books that reflected her lifelong curiosity and thirst for knowledge. She also cultivated a passion for genealogy.

In her early seventies, Bettye was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. True to her nature, she dedicated herself to learning everything she could about the illness and made lifestyle changes to help manage its progression. As her condition advanced, she moved to an assisted living facility in San Marcos, where she enjoyed daily social activities and made many new friends.

Bettye is survived by her daughters, Deborah Wedge of North Bend, Washington, and Danette Marx of Blanco, Texas; her brother, Joe Hutchinson of Arlington, Texas; and her grandchildren, Alex, Brianna, and Rhiannon. She was preceded in death by her mother, Ruth (Yentz) Hutchinson; her father, Frank Hutchinson; and her brother, Bob Hutchinson.

Bettye's life was one of dedication to her family, her community, and to helping others. Her memory will live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved her. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Heart to Heart Hospice, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, or a charity of your choice in Bettye's honor.

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