Betty Peebles

Betty Brookhouser Peebles, age 99, of Erie, passed away on May 28th, 2013 at UPMC Hamot. She was born in Girard on November 10, 1913, daughter of the late Charles and Frieda Brookhouser.

Betty was one of the Erie region's leading professional women. She successfully combined her talent for writing and editing with a passion for baseball and a great devotion to the Erie community resulting in a multi-dimensional work and volunteer career spanning 70 years.

Betty was in the first graduating class of Strong Vincent High School in 1930. Starting in the 1940s, Betty worked for Erie Printing, and then served as an account executive with Yount Co. and Mitchell-Knepper advertising agencies. Soon she became Erie's first female baseball reporter, penning a column "The Women's Angle on the Erie Sailors" in the Erie Dispatch Herald, creating a radio program "The Woman's Angle on Baseball" for WJOC radio in Jamestown, NY and writing a monthly column for Baseball Magazine of Washington. This was in addition to writing frequent articles for regional and national baseball publications. At the time of her death, she was writing the book "History of Erie Baseball from a Woman's Angle for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

In 1950, she married Ray Peebles, who was a business manager for the Cleveland, Detroit and Pittsburgh farm teams and a former sports editor. Their wedding invitation was shaped like a baseball. They spent several years living in the South, Midwest and New York working for various professional baseball teams before returning to Erie.

Betty became office manager at the Erie Playhouse and also served as casting director for Erie's 1963 Sesquicentennial production. She was affiliated with the Tourist and Convention Center, Meek and Thomas Advertising Agency and WICU-TV children's show "Time for Bob (Powers)." In 1967, she was named women's editor of the Erie Times, where she covered women's news until her retirement in 1983. Her civic work to baseball was as a founding member of Team Erie, the group of volunteers that led the drive to build what became Jerry Uht Park. Her work as organizer, publicist and advocate for the project was tireless. Betty would become a familiar figure at the ballpark as a longtime season ticket holder for the Erie Seawolves.

Among her many honors, Betty was most proud of her 2005 induction into the Metropolitan Erie Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame alongside her late husband, and also being named the first female "Baseball Person of the Year" by the Erie County Umpires Association and Dr. Gertrude Barber Center. In addition, Betty received the high honor of being included in The Baseball Hall of Fame Library as one of the pioneer women in baseball. Her recent years were filled with work on her book and she actively kept in touch through cards and letters with scores of co-workers, colleagues, family and friends.

Betty was preceded in death by husband Ray Peebles, brothers William and Robert Brookhouser. She is survived by nieces and nephews: Lynne Robinson of New York City, Gail Drushel and husband Terry of Warren, OH, Nancy Mikowski and husband Joseph of Erie, Kenneth Brookhouser and wife Carol of East Springfield, Mary Wright and husband James of Chadds Ford, Sue Kuebler and husband Clarke of Erie, Donald Brookhouser of Erie, Becky Brookhouser of Erie, Ann Brookhouser of Erie and Robert Brookhouser of Erie. Betty is also survived by many great nieces and nephews.

Friends may call at Burton Westlake Funeral Home, 3801 West 26th Street, (at Powell Avenue,) on Thursday May 30 from 6 to 8 pm and Friday May 31 from 10 am until the time of service there at 11:30 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Erie Playhouse, 13 W 10th St Erie, PA 16501, Holy Trinity Church, 2220 Reed St, Erie, PA 16503 or the charity of one's choice.