A Jazz funeral will be organised following the passing of health care campaigner, musician and Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle jazz festival founder Betty Renz.
Betty passed away, aged 93, at Maurice House in Broadstairs on the morning of September 12.
Betty was born in Walthamstow on January 30, 1932, to parents Charlie and Dolly Battell.
Her parents, Betty and her brother moved to Southall during the war years.
She desperately wanted to be a sailor like her dad but first trained as a nursery nurse. At 18 she decided to follow her dream but was thwarted when she was told women couldn’t enrol until they were 21.
Betty’s family were frequent visitors to Margate during the holidays and in 1945 they made the move to the seaside permanently, buying a 5-bed house in Madeira Road, Cliftonville, to run as a guesthouse.
When Betty was 20 she met husband-to-be Arthur. The pair married in 1955 and went on to have daughter Christina.
Betty worked for a while at the children’s hospital in Margate. She also worked in Margate library, which was then based in Victoria Road, before going on to the Information Bureau – a job she took because she was “a bit boisterous” for library work.
She used to be part of a jazz trio with two sisters and often sung with them while working an additional job behind the bar at the Belle Vue pub in Cliftonville. The sisters would sing the harmonies while Betty sang the melody.
Betty’s love for her music was so great that she tried to set up a festival for traditional jazz in her hometown of Margate but after hitting the buffers took her idea to Ramsgate and designed and funded the Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle Trad Jazz festival which still runs today.
She was also a dedicated campaigner for improvements to Thanet’s health services for more than 50 years. She gave her first petition to then-mayor, Alderman Adams, in around 1969 and continued to promote better healthcare – particularly stroke services and heading up Thanet Action for Trauma Emergencies group (TATE) to protest against changes to emergency services at QEQM Hospital- throughout her life.
Betty founded Margate Swimming Club, she was Deputy Mayoress of Margate and due to her tireless campaigning, she officially opened QEQM Hospital’s A&E.
Betty was a member of the British Red Cross for 50 years and attended a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in recognition of this. She was also part of the Save Dreamland campaign.
In 1988, Betty realised her long held sailing ambition when she joined the maiden voyage of the Jubilee Sailing Trust where people with disabilities and those who were able bodied joined together to sail a tall ship.
Betty previously told The Isle of Thanet News: “he said: “I absolutely loved it, there were no passengers because everybody was part of the crew. We would take it in turns to be behind the wheel and be on watch.
“Standing at the helm, steering the ship, I was a sailor at last.”
Betty continued to sail after Arthur passed away in 1992 and said her favourite journey was in 2013 when the ship was taken to the Canaries.
Betty, who was well-known for riding her bike around Margate, lived independently until moving to Shottendane just over two years ago.
She went to Maurice House shortly before she passed away.
Betty leaves behind daughter Christina and her husband Mark, her grandson Tom, wider family and many friends.
Funeral details
The funeral service is on Thursday 2nd October at 12pm at Thanet Crematorium.
The service will conclude with a jazz procession which will lead the coffin to Margate Cemetery where a burial will then take place.
The dress code is black but guests are asked to bring colourful umbrellas to hold during the Jazz procession.
Family flowers only but donations please to The Royal British Legion or MyAware charity.
The funeral route will include a brief stop at Margate Harbour for a moment of reflection as this was Betty’s favourite location. Some who knew her have planned to line the streets opposite the Turner from 11:30am to pay their respects before the hearse makes its way on to the crematorium for the service at noon.
I didn’t know Betty but reading this tribute I think it’s fair to say that hers was a life very much lived .