Betty Jean Ahrens
September 10, 1926 ~ March 10, 2018
Betty Jean (Robbins) Ahrens, also known as BJ, age 91, recently of the Hermitage Retirement Home in Alexandria, Virginia, died Saturday, March 10, 2018, at the Adler Hospice Center in Aldie, Virginia of acute respiratory failure. She was surrounded by family at the time.
BJ was born in Skidmore, Missouri on September 10, 1926, to Delavan K. Robbins and Evea A. Robbins. As a child she grew up and attended school in Mound City, Missouri and enjoyed many close lifelong friendships with her classmates, especially Joan Aeby Petersen. She attended the University of Missouri where she met and married Martin P. Ahrens in August 1948. Upon graduation they moved to the Washington D.C. area.
With the State Department, BJ and Martin were posted overseas to Karachi, Pakistan from 1958 to 1960. While there they traveled to India, visiting Delhi and the Taj Mahal in Agra and Hong Kong. They returned to Vienna, Virginia in 1960. Subsequently, in 1967 Martin and BJ were divorced. BJ remained in the home raising her three children working as many as three jobs simultaneously to support her family.
For many years, she worked for the County of Fairfax, Virginia, first in the Office of Public Works and then with the Fairfax County School system. She was highly regarded by her peers and management as an intelligent, diligent and skilled administrative employee. She consistently was recognized for her outstanding on the job performance.
During this time and after her retirement in 1986, she began to enjoy one of her many passions – travel. With friends and on occasion with her sister Dolores (Dee) Ball she traveled to Italy, Germany, Holland, Portugal, Malta, Viet Nam, and cruised the coastal waters of New England and the Panama Canal. She thoroughly enjoyed sharing tales of her travels.
She loved her garden which was always overflowing with beautiful flowers.
Other passions included the arts, galleries, the theatre and especially the Opera. She was thrilled when she met and conversed with tenor Placido Domingo at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC where he was the Artistic and General Director of the Washington National Opera.
She was an active member of the Vienna Women's Club and the Vienna Presbyterian Church where she was active in supporting the English as a second language (ESOL) program.
Her acquaintances unanimously spoke of her with fondness, exclaiming, “Oh we love BJ!” Throughout her life she had various beloved cats, almost never without one or two as constant companions
BJ is survived by daughter Fredericka (Jerry) Oar of Roseburg, Oregon; daughter Cynthia (Bill – deceased) Bennett of Bend, Oregon; son Martin (Cindy) Ahrens of Falls Church, Virginia; granddaughter Jennifer Bennett of Alexandria, Virginia; granddaughter Samantha Bennett of Arlington, Virginia; and granddaughter Heather (Christian) Ahrens/George of High Point, North Carolina; and many nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by her parents, Delavan and Evea Robbins, her sister Dolores (Dee) Ball, and son-in -law William (Bill) Bennett.
A Memorial Service will be held on Monday, 9 April 2018 at 1:30pm at the Vienna Presbyterian Church on Church Street in Vienna, Virginia. A reception at the church will follow.
Memorial donations may be made to 4 Paws Rescue Team, Inc., PO Box 2908, Merrifield, Virginia. www.fourpaws.org
BJ often quoted lines of poetry, one of which was Alfred Lord Tennyson's Crossing the Bar.
“Sunset and evening star, And one clear call for me! And may there be no moaning of the bar, When I put out to sea...”
BJ was born in Skidmore, Missouri on September 10, 1926, to Delavan K. Robbins and Evea A. Robbins. As a child she grew up and attended school in Mound City, Missouri and enjoyed many close lifelong friendships with her classmates, especially Joan Aeby Petersen. She attended the University of Missouri where she met and married Martin P. Ahrens in August 1948. Upon graduation they moved to the Washington D.C. area.
With the State Department, BJ and Martin were posted overseas to Karachi, Pakistan from 1958 to 1960. While there they traveled to India, visiting Delhi and the Taj Mahal in Agra and Hong Kong. They returned to Vienna, Virginia in 1960. Subsequently, in 1967 Martin and BJ were divorced. BJ remained in the home raising her three children working as many as three jobs simultaneously to support her family.
For many years, she worked for the County of Fairfax, Virginia, first in the Office of Public Works and then with the Fairfax County School system. She was highly regarded by her peers and management as an intelligent, diligent and skilled administrative employee. She consistently was recognized for her outstanding on the job performance.
During this time and after her retirement in 1986, she began to enjoy one of her many passions – travel. With friends and on occasion with her sister Dolores (Dee) Ball she traveled to Italy, Germany, Holland, Portugal, Malta, Viet Nam, and cruised the coastal waters of New England and the Panama Canal. She thoroughly enjoyed sharing tales of her travels.
She loved her garden which was always overflowing with beautiful flowers.
Other passions included the arts, galleries, the theatre and especially the Opera. She was thrilled when she met and conversed with tenor Placido Domingo at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC where he was the Artistic and General Director of the Washington National Opera.
She was an active member of the Vienna Women's Club and the Vienna Presbyterian Church where she was active in supporting the English as a second language (ESOL) program.
Her acquaintances unanimously spoke of her with fondness, exclaiming, “Oh we love BJ!” Throughout her life she had various beloved cats, almost never without one or two as constant companions
BJ is survived by daughter Fredericka (Jerry) Oar of Roseburg, Oregon; daughter Cynthia (Bill – deceased) Bennett of Bend, Oregon; son Martin (Cindy) Ahrens of Falls Church, Virginia; granddaughter Jennifer Bennett of Alexandria, Virginia; granddaughter Samantha Bennett of Arlington, Virginia; and granddaughter Heather (Christian) Ahrens/George of High Point, North Carolina; and many nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by her parents, Delavan and Evea Robbins, her sister Dolores (Dee) Ball, and son-in -law William (Bill) Bennett.
A Memorial Service will be held on Monday, 9 April 2018 at 1:30pm at the Vienna Presbyterian Church on Church Street in Vienna, Virginia. A reception at the church will follow.
Memorial donations may be made to 4 Paws Rescue Team, Inc., PO Box 2908, Merrifield, Virginia. www.fourpaws.org
BJ often quoted lines of poetry, one of which was Alfred Lord Tennyson's Crossing the Bar.
“Sunset and evening star, And one clear call for me! And may there be no moaning of the bar, When I put out to sea...”
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