This is a brief biography of Betty, collected from the memories of her family and friends. But as the title implies, it is unfinished. I doubt it ever will be completely. So, if you have further information or revisions you would like to see incorporated, please get in touch and I will do my best. 

Childhood

Elizabeth May Guiles was born in East Meadow, a town on Long Island, New York, on May 19, 1951. Her Father, Charles Guiles, was a brilliant engineer, and worked for Grumman through World War II, developing new technologies for aircraft. Her mother, Mary Nutting, was a nurse from Mentor, Ohio– now a suburb of Cleveland. They met in New York City, were married, and had a son named Charles. Then, they had Betty.

Though Betty knew her mother well through her lifetime, she never really got the chance to know her father. Charles the elder, sadly, died when Betty was about 8 months old of a sudden brain anyeurism. 

Betty’s relations in Ohio were a key part of her upbringing, with many aunts and cousins helping to raise her.

Before too long, Mary remarried a man named Frank Miles. Frank was a mechanic for the United States Air Force, and, as often happens with military families, his career ensured that they moved frequently. And so, Betty grew up for several years in Plattsburgh, New York (in the extreme northeastern corner of the state), while Frank worked nights servicing planes at Plattsburgh Air Force Base.