The Late Great Betty White Actually Had a Connection with Michigan

Even 2 years later, the world is still mourning the loss of the legendary Betty White. She seemed to have somehow touched millions of people, young and old, across the globe with her witty comedic talent and "grandmother to all" personality, but did you know she actually did have a connection with Michigan?

Betty White, who passed away on New Year's Eve Day 2021 at the "young" age of 99, was one of the first women to step from in front of the camera, to behind it, in Hollywood. White not only starred in Life with Elizabeth back in 1952, but she also helped create, write, and produce it.

Of course, she went on to make her mark in Hollywood with her iconic roles which include Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls, as well as a slew of other television and film projects.

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Betty White's Michigan Connection

Many people don't know that White, the "First Lady of Television", as she was often called, had a humble upbringing with a little Michigan connection. Betty Marion White was the only child of Christine Tess and Horace Logan White. Although White herself was born in Oak Park, Illinois, her father Horace was born in Negaunee Township, in Marquette County, Michigan in 1899,

Horace, a lighting company executive and World War I Veteran moved his little family to California in 1923 when Betty was just over a year old. By choice, White herself never had any children of her own, but she did have three husbands; Dick Barker, Lane Allen, and Allen Ludden whom she wed in 1963, and became a stepmother to his three children.

Betty White was one of those amazing celebrities that everyone loved and her loss is still felt today. It's nice to know there's a small connection to all of us Michiganders.