Betil "Betty" Berkman Kelekci

Betil (“Betty”) Berkman Kelekci - beloved daughter, mother and grandmother - passed away suddenly on Wednesday, August 5th. She was adored by all of her family and friends and will be deeply missed. Those she leaves behind take comfort in the long and wonderful life she lived.

Betty was born to Tahsin and Nilufer Berkman in Ankara, Turkey in 1938. She was an only child and because her father was a General in the Turkish Army they moved to several countries during her younger years. Two of the most favorite places she lived were Paris and London. For High school she attended Ankara College where she served as President of the Student Body her Senior year in 1956. Post graduation she studied to become a Journalist and became a Foreign Correspondent for one of the Turkish news agencies.

In 1961 she met and married her lifetime love, Hasan Kelekci. Theirs was a whirlwind courtship of only two months that bloomed into a 61 year marriage. A few years into their marriage the couple had two sons, Ali and then Sedat. Because Hasan was a Civil Engineer with a US Airforce company (The Tumpane Company), the family moved around often. They lived in many interesting places such as Istanbul, Riyad, Los Angeles, and Tirrenia (Italy). They finally settled permanently in Marietta, Georgia in 1973.

During their retirement years, Betty and Hasan continued to travel both domestically and internationally, but their greatest retirement joy was the birth of their three granddaughters. From then on, Betty was known as “Gigi” and she spent many years being actively involved with all three of her precious girls. </p>...