In Memoriam: Betty DeShong Meador

January 24, 1931 – February 20, 2023

Loving mother, author, and psychotherapist Betty DeShong Meador passed away on February 20, 2023, at age 92. Her husband and soul-mate for 45 years, Mel Kettner, had passed away just 99 days before.

Betty was born in Wichita Falls, Texas, and attended the University of Texas, where she earned her BA with honors in French, and her MA in English. In 1952, she married her first husband, Bruce Meador, moving from Texas to Arizona and then to California, raising their three children along the way. Betty earned her PhD in 1968, and subsequently worked closely with noted psychologist Dr. Carl Rogers in La Jolla California. In 1978, she became a Jungian Analyst and served as President of the CJ Jung Institute in San Francisco from 1992 to 1994. She also served on the faculty of the California School for Professional Psychology, the Pacifica Graduate Institute, New College, and the California Institute of Integral Studies. She is known for her study and translations of poetry from the Ancient Near East, producing several books including Uncursing the Dark: Treasures from the Underworld (1992), Inanna: Lady of the Largest Heart (2000), and Princess, Priestess, Poet – The Sumerian Temple Hymns of Enheduanna (2009).

Betty’s life was devoted to spreading joy and serving others, from her days teaching on the Diné (Navaho) reservation in Arizona to hosting countless family gatherings at her ranch and vineyard in Ramona. Her generosity and good cheer will continue to be a role model for all, and the devotion and care shared with her husband Mel until the end is the quintessence of a life well lived and the ideal we aspire to achieve.

She is survived by her children, Ross Meador, Elizabeth Meador, and Mary Meador, step-children Kurt Kettner-Burroughs, Alex Kettner, Phil Kettner, and Ann Kettner Haraguchi, along with 14 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her grandson, Matthew Jankovsky.