Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Watt

Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Watt, age 79, of Goleta, CA, passed away on Sunday, June 20th, 2021.

Born August 13th, 1941, while her father served with the U.S. Navy in the Philippines. When the war broke out they were captured and separated. Her father survived the Bataan Death March and was a POW for the rest of the war. Betty went with her mother and sister to Manila, where they were prisoners of the Japanese at the Santo Tomas Internment Camp. When the U.S. Forces liberated the camp, a soldier gave her a Hershey’s candy bar. She loved chocolate ever since.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Conrad Watt Jr., who passed away in October 2020. Conrad was her next-door neighbor and high school sweetheart. They both attended Venice High School and moved to Goleta to raise a family. Betty is survived by her four children, Brian, Carolyn, Greg, and Phil, with seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. 

For over 40 years she owned Betty’s Flowers, providing arrangements for weddings, receptions, and countless high school dances – always at a reasonable price. Betty was a longtime member of the Orchid Society of Santa Barbara, entering her displays and arrangements in the International Orchid Show. In recent years, she displayed orchid-inspired artwork. Loved by many, she has an orchid named after her, Cymbidium Betty Watt.

A joint memorial service will be held, with a date and time to be determined.