Betty Hughes, 91, of Charleston, South Carolina, passed away at Roper St. Francis Hospital in Charleston on December 14, 2011 with her children and Jackie, her dear friend and caregiver, at her side. Betty was the widow of Blake Hughes. A memorial service will be held at St. Michael's Church on Monday December 19th at 11:00 A.M. A reception will be held in the Parish Hall following the service.
Betty was born July 5, 1920 in Ithaca, Michigan and lived in Boston and Philadelphia before serving as an Ensign in the U.S. Coast Guard in Charleston during World War II. She received a B.S. degree in Textile Chemistry from Michigan State University and a B.A. degree from Boston University. After serving in the Coast Guard in Charleston she moved to New York where she worked at the United Nations. She married Blake Hughes in 1951 and after a few years left the U.N. to live in Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y. with her husband and two children until returning to Charleston and the Isle of Palms in 1978. Mrs. Hughes is survived by her daughter Diane Hughes Young and husband Kent (Red Lodge, Montana) and her son Brian Blake Hughes, his wife Cynthia (Houston, Texas) and 6 grandchildren, Matthew, Megan and Tracy Young and Alexandra, Blake and Patrick Hughes.
Betty was active as a former Board member at the Christian Family Y, and her many other Charleston activities included: The English Speaking Union, Alliance Francaise, The Library Society, The Poetry Society of S.C., The Garden Club of Charleston, The Laura Bragg Book Club, The Confederate Home, The Ladies Benevolent Society, The Gibbes Museum, Charleston Museum and the Altar Guild at St. Michael's.
In lieu of flowers memorials can be given to St Michael's Scholarship Fund, 71 Broad Street, Charleston, SC 29401 or the Confederate Home and College, 62 Broad Street, Charleston, SC 29401.
A memorial message may be written to the family by visiting our website at www.jhenrystuhr.com.