WILLIAMSBURG—Betty Flo Biddlecomb Haynie, 80, of Williamsburg died suddenly Wednesday, November 22, with family by her side.
Born in Richmond on May 13, 1943, and raised in Lilian in Virginia’s “Northern Neck”, Betty Flo was beautiful “inside and out” and very proud of her Chesapeake Bay roots. As a teen, she was the pride of Northumberland having earned the title of Miss Northern Neck Fair and traveling to represent the Northern Neck at the 1961 Virginia State Fair as a pageant finalist.
She graduated from Northumberland High School in Heathsville and later earned an education degree from Longwood College. Her career as an educator spanned three states. She also excelled in real estate, as an entrepreneur and at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation where she established and managed the tennis pro shop at the Williamsburg Inn. She also enjoyed a regular group of fun-loving tennis partners and was a favorite doubles partner due to her easy demeanor and contagious humor.
She married her high school sweetheart Steven Morrison Haynie in 1966. She and Steve made Williamsburg their lifetime home in 1970 and were avid supporters of the College of William & Mary as fixtures at virtually every W&M football and basketball game for 35 years. She was a member of the Williamsburg United Methodist Church. She was a member and officer in the Birchwood Garden Club and was awarded for her florals, wreaths, and the heirloom daffodil specimens she cultivated with bulbs transported from her childhood home.
In retirement, she combined her zeal for history and education as a docent/museum guide for the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation Museums.
She loved travel, as long as the destination included a rendezvous with friends and/or family, making her trips to Italy, Hawaii, the Jersey Shore, the Rose Bowl, Knoxville, North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Charleston, Colorado, Georgia, New York City, Mystic Seaport, and Ocracoke Island among her favorites and with Steve always by her side.
They achieved their dream of building a home in Riverview Plantation (christened “Possum Hollow”) with a tree-framed view of the York River and surrounded by wildlife, soaring bald eagles, hummingbirds, blue herons and pileated woodpeckers that she cherished so much.
In the rare moments when she was not on the go to visit family and friends (oft zipping along with the top down on her vintage Mazda Miata) you could find Betty Flo working a NY Times crossword puzzle to completion on the shaded back deck or perhaps down in the Outer Banks—flip-flop clad and fitting the last piece of a 2000 piece jigsaw puzzle in place with ease, or hosting the much loved members of her book and bridge clubs that she absolutely adored. She was an avid reader and student of genealogy and American history; she was undefeated at Trivial Pursuit and loved a competitive game of cards or a board game with her children. She was very proud of Williamsburg and the life that she built with Steve.
She rarely missed relishing the beauty of a sunset and was happiest when seated just feet from the ocean, toes in the sand savoring the sounds of seagulls and the surf on Hatteras Island. Her love for North Carolina beaches began with her honeymoon in 1966 and became a tradition every year thereafter. Weeks filled with salt air, fresh seafood, clam chowder, her famous pasta salad, beach music, sandy sheets, sunburns, beach walks and sea glass hunting were all marks of a day well spent. The memories from these family beach trips will remain her family’s most treasured.
Betty Flo loved her family “to pieces” and was an ever-present and guiding force throughout her life. Her children and grandchildren will always remember her caring embrace, her contagious smile and sparkling blue eyes, the ease with which she could engage and tell a story and her undivided embrace of everyone’s hopes and fears. She loved to laugh and was a friend to all with an easy, southern air and an unlimited capacity for listening.
She was predeceased by her father and mother, Capt. Alfred Francis Biddlecomb and Frances Nelms Carey Biddlecomb; her sisters, Florence Nelms Biddlecomb, Ann Biddlecomb Rice (Bootsie), and Emily Frances Biddlecomb.
She is survived by her husband of 57 years, Steven Morrison Haynie; her children S. Drew Haynie (Robyn), Reed Morrison Haynie (Matilda) and Ann Haynie Macdonald (Jamie); grandchildren, Logan and Mackenzie Haynie, Grey Haynie and Anderson and Florence Macdonald. She is also survived by her sister, Mary Trew Biddlecomb Lindquist (Jerry); and many much-loved nieces and nephews.
The family invites friends and family to visit together and share in honoring Betty Flo’s life from 1-4 p.m. Sunday, December 17, at the Kingsmill Mounts Bay Community Center, 101 Tutter’s Neck, Williamsburg, VA 28185.
Betty Flo loved animals with a passion—especially cats! Please consider making a holiday donation in her memory to the Heritage Humane Society of York County if you wish to honor her memory in that way. www.hertiagehumane.org
