A Century in Letters: The Life and Faith of Betty Haughin

At 102 years old, Betty Haughin still knows how to make an entrance. She doesn’t do it with a cane or a walker, but with a kazoo. A big bag of them, in fact. To some, they’re just toys, but to Haughin, they’re instruments of connection and she passes them out  like candy.

“Choose your favorite color,” she insists.

Haughin even appeared on KDKA’s Pittsburgh Today Live in 2024 for her love of Kazoos. (which you can watch here –  https://youtu.be/nImBu3VHlb0?si=mfu381YkV4fHwYGj )

And if you’re lucky, she’ll serenade you with a tune played with the same childlike joy she’s carried all her life.

It’s that joy, and a steady faith, that has carried Betty through a century marked by war, love, loss, and a remarkable gift that arrived just in time for her 102nd birthday and gave her love story new life.

Love on “Tissue Paper”

Betty grew up in a world very different from the one she inhabits today at St. John Community, where she is now the oldest resident.

At a young age, Betty worked for Koppers Company, at which time World War II broke out. At this time, civilians wrote and sent letters to servicemen to uplift their spirits through a government-promoted system called “V-Mail” and through regular mail. Letter writing served as a common and patriotic practice that became a vital morale booster for troops and their families on the home front.

Haughin, a talented writer, participated in the program. One of those men she wrote to was a fellow Koppers co-worker named Ken Haughin who had joined the Army. Their correspondence began as friendly exchanges, such as talking about the Pittsburgh Pirates, but grew into something much more as Ken would frequently write her back.

“He wrote on what was basically tissue paper,” Betty recalls.

Those fragile sheets of paper, now over 80 years old, carried the weight of a soldier’s heart and the hopes of a young woman who would one day become his wife.

Letter by letter, their friendship deepened into love. When the war ended, Ken returned home, and the two married. For 58 years, they built a life together—raising four boys, welcoming two grandchildren, and weaving faith into every corner of their days until Ken’s passing in 2004.

But the letters have never left Betty’s side.

A Book of Love, Eighty Years in the Making

For her 102nd birthday, her son Bruce and his wife, Judy, gave Betty something priceless: a book called Letters from Ken – Dispatches from the World War II Front. Inside, every letter Ken wrote to Betty has been carefully transcribed and preserved alongside photographs.

“It was the most beautiful gift,” Betty said softly.

Judy, who wrote the foreword, described watching Ken and Betty’s relationship transform in words right before her eyes—from co-workers, to friends, to sweethearts, and eventually to husband and wife. The book is a window into a love story carried by ink, faith, and hope through the darkest days of war.

A Life of Words

Haughin’s love of writing has always been a reflection of her moral compass, looking to bring out the best in her subjects by writing about the public in local papers. For more than 40 years, she authored a Chit Chat, a popular weekly column that ran in the Pittsburgh’s North Boros newspapers of Lamplighter, City and Suburban Life, and The Citizen. Her words chronicled good news, weaving together stories that celebrated community, family, and resilience.

As of a few years ago, Betty still remained in touch with her local community, replying to emails from the many people who would reach out to her.

A Joyful Present

Today, Betty’s room at St. John is filled with balloons, birthday cards, and a steady stream of visitors.

“Everyone is just willing me beautifully,” said Betty about all of the gifts and wishes she recently received.

She shares her days with her roommate, Nan, who has become a close friend. Together, they sing hymns, talk faith, and place lighthearted bets on what color suit Steve Harvey will wear on Family Feud.

“That’s our big thrill of the day,” she jokes. “I’ve won a couple of times.”

Her smile softens.

“I am so blessed to know (Nan),” she said of her roommate.

A Life Blessed

Haughin has a way of putting life into a beautiful perspective that is both simple and profound.

When asked the secret to her 102 years, she doesn’t pause to think.

“The Lord,” she said firmly. “And it’s not a secret. It’s up to Him. What do we have to do with it?”

Her wit is as sharp as her faith.

“Your body tells you you’re 102,” she joked with a smile. “Your body wears out whether you want it to or not. But it’s all God.”

Betty has outlived her two brothers and her sister, yet she has never felt truly alone. Her life is filled with the echoes of love letters, the joy of family, the music of a kazoo, and the certainty of her faith.

Now, as she celebrates her 102nd birthday, her words carry the weight of a century’s worth of wisdom and gratitude.

“I’ve been so blessed in every way,” she reflected. “In every way.”

And you can’t help but believe her.