published: Wednesday, September 01, 2010

County loses a treasure with Humphrey's death

By CHRISTOPHER TUFFLEY

christopher.tuffley@newssun.com

SEBRING --It is often the quiet heroes we miss most.

Highlands County lost Betty Humphrey, one of those quiet heroes, on Aug. 24

An untiring volunteer with the Humane Society and the Salvation Army, she not only played Mrs. Santa Claus in the Sebring Christmas parade, she raised money for Christmas meals and helped cook the dinners and served them as well.

She was also there when children needed back-to-school supplies, raised record breaking amounts of money for Jerry Lewis' kids, and campaigned to bring Fourth of July fireworks back to Sebring after they had been canceled for several years.

"She lived what she preached," said Barbara Clark, president of the Humane Society. "She wasn't all talk. She walked the walk."

For example, after recovering from triple bypass surgery in 2009, Humphrey sold her car when she lost faith in her ability to drive safely.

She was one of the people who was instrumental in making the Humane Society a no-kill shelter and in creating spaying and neutering programs.

"She was very much a no-nonsense person who knew what needed to be done. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind," said Clark, who admitted to being a little afraid of her when they first met. "It was an unforgettable experience meeting her when she was passionate about something," Clark said.

John Merder, who volunteered with Humphrey closely over the years, said, "Betty was quite a lady. A real spark plug. On her own she would put together baskets of goodies to raffle (on behalf of the animals), and made sure animals got to special adopting events. She wouldn't leave me alone until I adopted a dog -- a wonderful dog as it turned out. She was the kind of person it was easy to say yes to, hard to say no."

Carleene Humphrey said her mother "always had to busy. She celebrated life and loved music. Every morning her radio would be on. If there was no radio, she'd whistle."

Humphrey and her husband Carl owned and operated two filling stations in Indiana until Carl had a heart attack and had to retire. They moved to Highlands County in 1972, where Humphrey took care of Carl at home, seeing him through pancreatic cancer before he died in 1997.

One of her parents' dreams had been to open an animal shelter, Carleene Humphrey said. That never happened, but after Carl's death, one of the first things Humphrey did was volunteer at the Humane Society, eventually joining its board.

"After my father died it was like she sprang wings," said her daughter.

Humphrey's death came as a shock to both her friends and family because she did not tell anyone when cancer was found in her lungs and esophagus.

"She was selective about what she told me," said Carleene Humphrey, "It seemed like a surprise because she kept so much back. When she did say she was sick I knew something was bad."

After a short stay in the hospital and a few days at home Humphrey entered a nursing home because she was in considerable pain.

Her last days were peaceful, however, her daughter said.

The family is still making arrangements for a celebration of life ceremony.

They ask anyone interested in making a memorial donation to do so on behalf of the Humane Society of Highlands County Inc.