Bettye Black

Black, Bettye Jeanne (Fox) 88 died at home on April 10, 2017, after a brief illness. A St. Petersburg resident since 1958, she and her late husband of 54 years, Jay Black, moved to St. Petersburg in 1958 from Memphis, where she was born February 1, 1929. For many years, she was a fashion model in Memphis and in St. Petersburg. She spent 12 years in broadcasting, first as a television host in Memphis and later as a radio and television spokeswoman for the Eckerd Corp. She founded Wendy Ward, and etiquette Program for Montgomery Ward in St. Petersburg, which she taught for 13 years. For the St. Petersburg Times, she was a freelance contributor, writing a column titled "Mirror Image", which encouraged self-improvement, motivation, and other life skills. Later on, she managed the Tierra Verde Island Resort as Vice President and Managing Director, the Presidential Inn as Managing Director, and the Heritage Hotel in St. Petersburg as Managing Partner. Mrs. Black's extensive volunteer work included many roles in support of St. Anthony's Hospital, where she was a member of the board of trustees of the St. Anthony's Hospital Foundation, a founding member of the Women in Philanthropy donor group, chair of the St. Anthony's Hospital Auxiliary and a hospital volunteer. She chaired the annual Charity Ball for All Children's Hospital was president of the Stuart Society of the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, and past president of the Advisory Council of the Tampa Bay Research Institute. With Hospice of the Florida Suncoast, she was a volunteer of the speakers bureau. Survivors include her daughters, Sharon Black Born of Safety Harbor, FL; Laurette Black, and Catherine "Cassie" Coleman Black, of St. Petersburg; her great granddaughters Vyctoria and Shelbi; and her grand dog, Minnie. She was preceded in death by a her granddaughter, U.S. Army SFC Tyffani Laurken Newby. The family will receive visitors from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, April 17, 2017 at Anderson-McQueen Northeast Family Tribute Center, 2201 Dr. MLK Street North, St. Petersburg, FL. Funeral services will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the St. Anthony's Hospital Foundation, Empath Hospice, or a charity of choice.