Betty Louise Johnson Hamilton of New York City passed away at home on September 14. She was born on November 25, 1923 to Charles Gustav and Dessie Walker Johnson on the family farm near Marathon, Iowa. She graduated from Pleasant View Independent (one-room) School, and Albert City High School.

She was preceded in death by husband Arthur Hamilton in 1962; partner of 30 years Geoffrey Cobb Ryan in 2007; parents of Spencer, Iowa; brother George Johnson; and sister Dorothy Vaubel.

She attended the University of Minnesota and the American Academy of Art in Chicago, where she also worked in commercial art. Then on to San Francisco, where, after other commercial art work, she became one of two staff artists at the San Francisco Examiner. Next, living in Peru, in 1966-67, Betty worked doing exhibits. She also traveled and painted in different locations and exhibited and sold her paintings. Next, she moved to New York, where she worked for ABC for a year and then for NBC until retirement. The little girl on the farm, who cleaned out the cob house every year to make it her art studio and pretended it was her office in New York, ended up working at 30 Rock in New York. She also painted in watercolors for many years, exhibiting her work, until switching to photography also exhibited.

While living in New York City, Betty and Geoffrey had a getaway home in Bovina, New York. Betty’s photographs of the area were exhibited in the Catskills and in New York City.

On the farm and through her 4-H club, Betty developed an interest in environmental conservation and birding which she also shared with Geoffrey, who was co-founder of the New York City Audubon Society and Director of Public Affairs for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. They were avid birders and members of the Audubon Society and enjoyed birding trips to many locations, domestic and international. After Geoffrey’s death, she took birding trips to five countries, a photographic safari to Kenya, and a trip to her ancestral village in Sweden. She also enjoyed many visits to the Metropolitan Museum of Art of which she was a member.

Some of her early materials are in the State Historical Society of Iowa. These include a book of drawings and paintings of the family farm in Iowa and an inventory, drawings, and descriptions of wildlife (birds, wild game birds, furbearer and game animals, wildflowers, weeds, and trees) on the farm in her 1940 4-H conservation book.

She is survived by nieces Sally Kelley (John King) of Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Susanna Sand (Mark) of Lombard, Illinois; great nephew Jeffrey Sand; great niece Jean Ogden (Roy); and two great grand nephews. She is also survived by Geoffrey’s niece Catherine Maeglin (Steve) of New York City, great nephews Ryan and Quinn, and great nieces Chelsea and Amanda. The family also wishes to express deep appreciation to Betty’s caregivers of recent years.

Memorials may be made to New York City Audubon or the Metropolitan Museum of Art.