Bettie Janis Neill was born on September 18, 1933 in Chicago, Illinois to Vivian Boone Neill and Harold Frederick Neill. At the age of three, she began dancing lessons which would inspire the course of the rest of her life. As a teenager, she made a cross-country journey with her mother and two brothers, heading for California to meet up with her father, who was being released from the Navy. He had decided that California offered more advantages for his family. Traveling during that time was perilous. Tires were difficult to come by and they traveled with very little money, only that which Vivian had earned as a seamstress and costume designer for the theaters in Chicago. When their trailer got a flat, they were forced to abandon it on the side of the road, leaving many precious items behind. All through school, Bettie took dance and drama classes. After graduating from Hollywood High and performing  in various stage shows, she began a two year stint with the USO in 1955. She traveled to the Phillipines, Japan, Korea, Midway Island  Alaska, and Hawaii to entertain the troops. During these years, she made her fondest memories, her greatest friends, and the love of her life (whom she did not end up marring.) In 1957, she married Gordon James Twa on June 22nd. She was part of the women's movement in the 1970s, protesting for the Equal Rights Ammendment. She received her Liberal Arts Degree from Moorpark College in 1979 and was very proud of that accomplishment.  She had two daughters,  Laurie and Kathie, and continued dancing throughout her life, right up to several years before she passed. She wrote beautiful, touching poetry throughout the years and excelled in sewing, quilting, and gardening. She was a beautifully kind being and will always be remembered for her sweet spirit.  She died at home of dementia at the age of 91 on December 26, 2024 with her daughter, Laurie,  at her side.