Grace Bette Lu Albritton – Descendent of early settlers

Grace Bette Lu Albritton, 70, passed from this life on Jan. 15,
2005 after a long battle with cancer. She was born on Sept. 30,
1934 in Windsor to the late Elizabeth F. Hassett and Alvin G.
Murray, both of local pioneering families. She spent her early
years in Sebastopol’s Green Valley, graduated from Analy High
School, and in her later years retired to the Green Valley Road
Ranch, which was started by her mother. She was very proud of her
family’s Sonoma County heritage and was a direct descendant of the
Shinn, Laughlin, Drake and Hassett families. Her
great-great-great-grandfather Silas Shinn was a very early pioneer
who first settled along the Russian River after fighting in the
Mexican War, crossing the plains, and mining for gold. Her
great-great-grandfather was John D. Hassett, a former Sonoma County
Sheriff who owned land near Healdsburg, built the first lumber and
flour mills in the area, and helped to start the first area bank.
Bette, as she liked to be called, was the loving wife of Donald W.
Albritton, a Korean War Veteran. They were married for 49 years.
Bette was a beloved mother and grandmother who was proud of her
children and grandchildren. She is survived by her son David
(Susan) Albritton of Santa Rosa; daughter-in-law Kathy Albritton of
Nevada; grandchildren Sarah and Kevin Albritton, and Tori L.
Albritton. Sadly, Bette survived two loving sons, Steven Albritton,
who passed away at the age of 17 from Cystic Fibrosis in 1977, and
Gary Albritton, at the age of 26, who was struck by lightning in
1989. While living in the Larkfield area, Bette spent her middle
years in full and faithful service to her family, friends and
community. She worked for the Mark West Union School District for
30 years, working in its classrooms, on its playgrounds, and the
last 20 years as a school bus driver. She served as president of
the District Parent Teacher’s Club, acted as an advisor with the
Crossroads 4-H Club, was president of Mark West Little League, and
worked on local election committees. In her later life, Bette
returned to Sebastopol’s Green Valley where she remained active in
her community. Despite health problems, she championed the cause to
save the historic building that had housed the old Green Valley
School and continued to work on local elections. In recent years
she was proud to be associated with the Graton Volunteer Fire
Department. She felt honored to serve as the district’s secretary,
and considered the board members and firefighters as family. As one
of her last thoughts, Bette requested that any donations be made to
the Graton Volunteer Fire District to assist the brave and
dedicated firefighters in their efforts to serve and protect. A
private family graveside service will be held at Shiloh District
Cemetery in Windsor. Donations in her memory may be made to the
Graton Fire Protection District, c/o Sue Davis, at the Graton Fire
Department.