Betty Auger, passes away 3rd July, 2020 at 99 years of age

Betty Auger, American artist and wife of now deceased, Major Hugh Auger, passed away 3rd July 2020.  At 99, she was Ashworth Mansions oldest resident and having moved into Ashworth Mansions in 1947, she was AM’s longest time resident as well.  She came over from Chicago to London during the war to work as a secretary, where she met and married Major Hugh.  Together, they moved into the newly rebuilt blocks of Ashworth Mansions, which had previously destroyed by a German V1 bomb during the Blitz.  

As a couple, they were active residents, where Major Hugh was the residents’ representative to help oversee the major works to ensure that the freeholder did a good job. They also let their flat, with its 3rd floor vantage point, to be used by the Police for the occasional stakeout!  When her husband passed away, Betty provided a bench to the AM central garden with a plaque dedicated to him.

A local photographer, Russ McClintock, took these photos he took of Betty in 2012, which he passed onto Councillor Geoffrey Barraclough.  He remembers her as a sweet and stylish lady.  Rest in peace Betty — we will miss you.

4 Comments

  1. Anne Backenstow

    What a lovely article about Betty Auger, she indeed was a gracious lady. We became very good friends with Hugh and Betty when we lived above them in a flat in the 70s. We kept up our friendship all these years and when I was in London I would always come up to see her and we would go out for a meal or a theatre.
    Thank you for the article I will miss her and remember her warmly.
    Anne

    • Anonymous

      Thank you, Anne, for telling us about your friendship with Betty and your time at Ashworth Mansions!

  2. Annabel Smith

    Oh, that’s sad to hear about Betty. She and Hugh were such great characters. I lived upstairs in 92 for 40 years, on and off, as the flat belonged to my parents. She met me when I was born, and also met my two sons when they were babies! Rest in peace Betty. x

  3. Mary van Son

    Betty was such a lovely, kind, hospitable lady, and so very good to us! When she and Hugh visited her sister’s family in Kalamazoo, Mich. near where she grew up, they attended the church I grew up in. When I married and my husband was posted to American Embassy London we looked up Hugh and Betty and became fast friends.
    When we were posted to American Embassy Israel and I was evacuated to London for major surgery, Betty took me in for several weeks of my recuperation time and we had a grand time sharing stories of her childhood on a Michigan farm and as a post war bride in London. I have such fond memories of her apartment and the fun we had enjoying the view from her living room of the recreation ground watching the weather change, the dogs and children play, and the landscaping work go on.
    Our last visits with her were when she was ill and had nurses there caring for her. She was always cheerful and a pleasure to visit with, no matter how she was feeling. My husband and I will always miss her-any future visits to London will never be as pleasant without her! Rest in peace, dear Friend! You and Hugh were so very special to us!

Leave a Reply to Mary van Son Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

© 2024

Theme by Anders NorénUp ↑