Elizabeth "Bette" Jean Gallagher Tunney
Bette is my grandmother. May 29, 1921 ~ April 8, 2017 Born Elizabeth Jean Gallagher, Bette absolutely refused to be called by her given name. Known as Dolly or Bette Jean to her friends when she was in primary school, she eventually shortened her name to Bette. A gregarious soul, Bette grabbed onto life from the beginning and took it for a grand ol' ride. She made her first splash in the newspaper at only 8 days old. While she isn't actually named in the article, the Oakland Tribune announced that a Gallagher child was born to Mrs. Walter Gallagher. And so she was. Born in Oakland, California on May 29th, 1921, to Walter and Ida, Bette lived a privileged life on Park Blvd. She wasn't from a wealthy family. Indeed, her mother was a housewife, while her father was a police officer. However, Bette always said that her father made certain her life was very comfortable. While she was a child of the Depression, she never felt the hardships that some o