Elizabeth Anne (Betty) Bloomer was born in Chicago on April 8, 1918, and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with her brothers Bill and Bob. “I was a terrible tomboy and the bane of my big brothers’ existence,” she wrote in her book The Times of My Life. “I trailed them around and tried to make them let me play football and ice hockey with the guys, and sometimes they had to babysit me, and I was always interfering in their fights.“
Betty’s father, William, was a factory parts salesman. He often traveled for his work, and passed away when she was 16. Her mother, Hortense, would always be the one of the most important influences in Betty’s life. Hortense was active in the community and served as president of a local home for children with disabilities. Betty would go with her to entertain the kids by playing music and helping them to beat out the rhythms.
Betty enjoyed school and also had an active social life as part of a high school sorority known as “The Good Cheers.” At an early age, she also developed a passion for dance. Every afternoon she attended class at the Calla Travis studio, where she learned every type of dance that she could. After high school Betty spent two summers at the Bennington School of Dance in Vermont, which introduced her to Martha Graham and led her to a new adventure in New York City.
