Every week The Psychogenealogist shares a "Pic of the Week." The intent is to encourage thought and imagination about the spaces where psychology, genealogy, and history converge.

My paternal grandmother, Betty Grace Sears Hanley (1924-1981) was born on Halloween, October 31, 1924. This was the Halloween themed birthday cake her family made for her on her 47th birthday in 1971.

**Birthday Cake for Betty Grace Sears (1971)**

Grandma died when I was quite young, and I have only a few very vague memories of her. Thankfully, there are dozens, perhaps hundreds, of photos of her that have helped me get to “know” her. Here are just a few of my very favorites.

Betty Grace Sears Hanley (1924-1981)

Betty with siblings early 1940s

Far right

Easter 1969

Second in from the left, where grey bowler hat

Hawaii Trip 1969

Orange dress

Europe (possibly Ireland) 1974

With older sister, Dorothy Sears (1922-1927)

Hawaii 1969 with friend

Left

Home - Kalamazoo, MI early 1970s

Poised and Elegant 1970s

Hamming it up with friends 1970s

Right

With husband (my grandfather) Michael John Hanley Jr. (1924-2015)

With steward, Hawaii 1969

Early 1940s

Happy New Year!

Celebrating the New Year (I think) on cruise with friends and husband.

Aloha! Hawaii 1969

(TIP: If you are viewing on a mobile device and the captions aren’t displaying, try turning your device to landscape mode.)

For a much larger collection of photos check out the Betty Grace Flickr photo album.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Questions:

Do you have relatives with Halloween birthdays? Christmas? February 29th?
What are some of the favorite birthday cakes in your family history?
Do you have pictures of them? I would love to see them.

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