Bette Jane (Fry) Brant

Bette Jane (Fry) Brant, 90, on October 25, 2018, at Fairlane Gardens in Exeter Township. A Pennside resident for over 50 years, she was the wife of Frederick Major Brant, who died in 1982.

Born March 7, 1928, in Laureldale, to the late Ralph Nevin Fry and Sadie Dreibelbis (Rhoads) Fry, she was predeceased by brothers R. Norman Fry (his wife Doris), William Fry (his wife Lois), Kenneth Fry, Harold Fry, Paul Fry, and sister Margie Blauvelt.

Survived by daughter Tracy Jane Brant, partner of Clinton Gibson, and grandchildren Celeste Galanos and Madelyn Brant, all of Philadelphia; son Kyle Cameron Brant, husband of Amy Milakofsky Brant, and grandchildren Molly Brant and Miles Brant, all of Saint Lawrence; and several generations of beloved nieces and nephews.

Bette went to Muhlenburg High School and was active in the Class of 1946 reunion committee. She married and moved to California, working as a bookkeeper for Exchange Orange Products, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, and Advanced Technology Laboratories. The family returned to Berks County with small children in 1965 and bought a home in Pennside, where Bette exchanged letters and phone calls with West Coast friends and family all of her life.

She was an Avon Lady, Girl Scout troop leader, and Indian Guide co-leader. She was involved in her church and community, and an avid gardener. She was a US Census taker in 1970 and 1980, a costumed participant in the Berks Bicentennial celebration, and a blue ribbon winner at the Oley Fair. She loved Berks County history and her PA German heritage, attending annual reunions of Dreibelbis Cousins in Kutztown.

A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, November 10 at The Pagoda, Skyline Drive, Reading, from 2-5 PM. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Reading Public Library, where Bette was a devoted patron. Visit ReadingPublicLibrary.org