Sam, Michaela and Betty Ablon
A funeral was held today at Temple Emanu-El for Betty Ann Ablon, longtime Lake Highlands resident. “Bebe,” as she was known by the many who loved her, passed away peacefully at the age of 85.
Bebe and Sam, her husband, lived on our Stone Creek Place cul-de-sac during the nearly 20 years our four children spent growing up. In those days we counted something like 45 kids living in 15 homes around the circle, and Bebe played bubbe to them all. She showered them with affection and freely dispensed advice to young moms like me who hadn’t a clue how to keep all our plates simultaneously spinning.
Turns out Bebe knew a lot about juggling family, career and community service.
Bebe was born near Boston and earned a bachelor’s degree in English at SMU. She got a master’s in social work at Columbia University in New York City, where she became a group facilitator at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx. After moving to Dallas, she worked at Hope Cottage, the Child Care Group and several mental health organizations.
Bebe was a true renaissance woman, and she switched gears to create her own catering business, serving Dallas’ most elite organizations and parties. Chef’s Shadow provided treats for Dallas institutions such as Neiman Marcus and Marty’s on Oak Lawn until she sold the business in 1993. She later returned to social work as a consultant, specializing in early childhood care and mental health.
Bebe and Sam’s three kids were grown by the time we met them, but they remained puffed with pride at their offspring’s many accomplishments. When son Michael ran for mayor in 2018, Bebe showed me photos on her wall of him as a child, and she recalled his days playing sports and doing household chores.
“One of the things about him is his colossal energy,” she said. “His day, even when he was little, began at 4:30 a.m. He was always a runner and he always loved sports. He developed very early his own moral code. I’m not suggesting he was a perfect child — nor would his sisters (laughter), but morality was important to him.”
When her career was over, Bebe spent time baking, quilting and making jewelry. She was a voracious reader, and she loved to play cards with her friends in the Belmont Village retirement community.
If you’re a young mom, I hope you’ll find a Bebe on your block or online to give you advice and encouragement. If you’re a “veteran” mom, I hope you’ll be a Bebe to others. Thirty years later, someone may just remember it.
