Betty Moffitt, mother of Billie Jean King, dies at 91
Billie Jean King stands with her mother, Betty Moffitt, center, and girlfriend Ilana Kloss, left, during the dedication ceremony for the USTA National Tennis Center, re-named in King's honor, at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York on Aug. 28, 2006. Credit: AP
Betty Moffitt, the mother of tennis great Billie Jean King and former major league pitcher Randy Moffitt, died yesterday in Prescott, Ariz. She was 91.
She died at home with her children by her side, King's publicist said.
King announced Wednesday that she would not attend the opening ceremony of the Sochi Olympics with the U.S. delegation because of her mother's failing health.
King described her mother as a good swimmer and dancer, who helped the tennis prodigy remain balanced with piano lessons and schoolwork.
Betty Jerman was born on May 26, 1922, in Taft, Calif. She married Bill Moffitt and raised their two children in Long Beach, Calif., where they lived for more than 40 years. They were married 65 years.
At King's 60th birthday party in 2003 in Beverly Hills, Calif., the dance floor cleared when the couple twirled to Glenn Miller's big-band era hit, "In the Mood." Bill Moffitt died in 2006, the year the U.S. tennis center that hosts the U.S. Open in Flushing was renamed for King. Betty Moffitt attended the renaming ceremony with her daughter. -- AP
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