Betty Ann (Cash) Hunter Trautman, 81, of California, Md., died May 15, 2023 at home surrounded in love by family.
Betty was born August 14, 1941 in Cedartown, Ga. She lived in Southern Maryland since the 1960s, where she has raised five children, owned a business, and settled in California enjoying her burgeoning family. She married her husband, Robert (Bob) Trautman, in 1982 and they’ve enjoyed 41 years of worldwide travel and the rich blessings of family.
Betty was preceded in death by her parents, Othella Cash of Alabama and Hubert Weatherby of Georgia; infant sister on her mother’s side Shirley Ann Landers, brothers on her mother’s side David Landers, Buddy Landers, and Alton Landers, all of Anniston, Ala, and brother on her father’s side Hubert Weatherby of Atlanta, Ga. She was also preceded in death by two children: her son Murdic Kurk Hunter of Orangeburg, S.C. in 1982, and daughter Pamela Miller of Mechanicsville, Md. in 2019.
Betty is survived by her husband, Robert, along with daughters Angella Hunter of Lexington Park, Md., Suzanne Lawrence (Bobby) of Mechanicsville, Md., son-in-law Matthew S. Miller of Mechanicsville, Md., and daughter Victoria Hunter Closson (Lorne) of Lusby, Md.; stepson Mark Trautman (Ben Sifuentes) of Highland Park, N.J., stepdaughters Pamela Trautman Vadeboncoeur of San Miguel, Mexico, and Paula Trautman Ledet (Cliff) of Metarie, La.; 12 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren, 3 step-grandchildren, and 5 step-great-grandchildren. Betty is also survived by a sister on her mother’s side, Peggy Landers O’Brien of Oklahoma City, Ok., and a sister on her father’s side, Patricia Weatherby Pitts of Hampton, Ga. Finally, Betty is survived by former spouse and father of her children, Murdic Hunter of Lexington, S.C.
Betty was a resourceful woman who found a way to make things happen, like starting a pet shop business in the 1960s with five children under 8 years old while her spouse was in the Navy. That business, The Aquarium, was sold in the 70s and locals still remember her from there. She went on to other careers but ultimately settled into homemaking after her marriage to Bob. She and Bob enjoyed horseshoes and bowling in their early years, and decades of travel, fine dining, and Vegas, where Betty would exploit the casinos on the dollar slots. They also loved beach vacations with family. Most called her what her grandchildren named her — Mawmaw, Maw Maw, Mama, MaMaw or some other spelling variation — the consensus of which has been a fun and lively family debate for years.
Her generosity didn’t stop at material things; it overflowed when it came to her hard-earned wisdom of any topic. Ask anyone who knew her, and they will likely have a colorful story of one of her convictions. Her early years were spent in Georgia and Alabama with her mother’s family who nicknamed her Cooter, deeming her slow like the box turtle of the same name. Today, her children still get a kick out of hearing southern relatives call her Cooter in their Alabama drawl. Unfortunately, both Betty’s parents died when she was young. She never knew her father, since he died when Betty was a very young child. But she was thrilled to learn at 50+ years old that she had a brother and sister by him, and she was able to meet and establish a relationship with them. She was a fierce matriarch, and we will miss her and appreciate the family that grew from her. She was generous, uniquely beautiful, opinionated and strong-willed, and most who met her remembered her singular personage.
Services will be at Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home in Leonardtown, Md. on Tuesday, May 23, with visitation from 9-10 a.m., and prayer service from 10-11 a.m. Interment will follow at All Faith Episcopal Church Cemetery, 38885 New Market Turner Road, Mechanicsville. Attendees are welcome to join the family for a meal and fellowship at the Mechanicsville Volunteer Fire Department at 28165 Hills Club Road following the burial.
The family wishes to extend abundant gratitude to the staff at Hospice of St. Mary’s County for their dedicated, compassionate, and exceptional care during Betty’s plight with cancer. Betty loved and appreciated the physical and emotional care and friendship the nurses and aides provided. They are a cherished gift to our community.
Memorial contributions in lieu of flowers may be made to Hospice of St. Mary’s.
P.O. Box 625 Leonardtown, MD 20650.
