Elizabeth “Bette” Reilly

Elizabeth “Bette” Reilly, a Michigan native whose lifelong dream
to live in California was realized by raising her family in Bodega
Bay, Santa Rosa and Windsor, died June 27 in her Windsor home after
a long illness.
She was 73. Services were held July 9 at St. Teresa’s Church in
Bodega.
Born Elizabeth Louise Phelps, Bette Reilly was raised and
educated in Detroit. After attending community college in Detroit,
she spent 10 years in the automobile business, working for American
Motors and Chrysler.
Reilly quit the auto industry when she married her husband,
Arthur Reilly.
Theirs was a long courtship. Arthur’s brother, Raymond, married
Bette’s sister, Monica, in 1955. Arthur was best man; Bette was
maid of honor. Bette met Arthur during a prenuptial gathering at
the Phelps family home in Detroit. Bette later said she knew she
would marry her sister’s brother-in-law.
“My mom said that when she saw my Dad she knew. He had some baby
blues, and when my Dad came over for a family function and she
opened the door and saw him she just knew he was the guy,” said her
daughter, Shannon Reilly of Windsor.
With her new husband, Bette Reilly moved to California. They
stayed only two years, however. Arthur was a “nut” for airplanes
and in 1970 accepted an opportunity with his brother Raymond to
partner in an aircraft dealership in Maryland.
Eight years later, after selling out of the airplane business,
the Reillys and their two children, Matthew and Shannon, headed for
California and landed in Sonoma County.
The couple stayed on the coast five years. Arthur worked in
insurance and real estate. Bette briefly worked for the Homeowners
Association.
The couple moved to Santa Rosa in 1983 to be closer to Santa
Rosa Diocese schools for their children. They moved to Windsor in
1989. Arthur died in 2003.
While she also worked as a bookkeeper for many years, Bette
Reilly enjoyed pursuing her creative outlets, including needle
point for which she won awards for her original work and
interpretations of designs by other artists.
In recent years she enjoyed being with her grandson, A.J.
Reilly, attending mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in
Windsor.
She also was “in love with politics,” said her daughter. During
election time, she worked at the Sonoma County Elections Department
where she helped prepare, send out and count absentee ballots.
Shannon Reilly said her mother was a “staunch, lifelong
Republican.” Her son, Matthew Reilly, is a Democrat and as Director
of the Speakers Office of Member Services is entrenched in
Democratic politics in the California Legislature.
“I spent a lot of family dinners under the table,” said
Shannon.
In addition to her daughter, son and grandson, she is survived
by her daughter-in-law, Tahiza Landeros de Reilly of Sacramento,
and numerous nephews and nieces.
Father Angelito Peries, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church
in Windsor  presided over services at St. Teresa’s in the town of
Bodega.
A private gathering followed.