Betty Nemec

Betty Nemec's smile could melt a candle. A pink candle, if Betty has her way. Her personality is as refreshing as a pitcher of lemonade. Pink lemonade, no doubt.  She's as effervescent as a bubble bath. And yes, the soapy water would cast a pink hue.

When Betty is out and about, chances are she's dressed in pink, or more likely black in winter - with pink accessories.

"They call me 'the Pink Lady of Sun City.' When I go to the grocery store, people stop and say 'There's the Pink Lady'. I can't go anywhere without hearing that," Betty said from her home, where the color pink is the dominant color (pink soap, anyone?).

Her identity to the color began when she and her late husband, Richard Nemec, moved to Sun City Hilton Head in May, 1996. It was time to get out of the cold, served up every winter in their hometown of Bronxville, N.Y. Although the couple had a second home in Del Ray Beach, Fla., it was the lifestyle offered at Sun City, coupled with her husband's attraction to the trees and flowers, that proved to be selling points. Pink is cheery, Betty thought. Much like her new surroundings.

But there's more to Betty than a woman enamored with a color. She's best described as a loving wife, a successful career woman, a philanthropist, a world traveler and a person who embraces all of life's offerings. She holds on to the old, like her two manual typewriters that sit on her dining room table and get plenty of use through letter writing. And she embraces the new, always making new friends and recently discovering the joy of opera.
"I plan to keep on going in 2011 the way I've been going.  Be very active, and good health is very important," said Betty, who never smoked, yet enjoys a cocktail once in a while. "We have a lot of parties here," she added.

Long before filling her free time with shopping and socializing, Betty had a 40-year career at Manhattan Savings Bank in New York, working her way up to bank officer. "You have to have a lot of personality when you work with the public," said Betty, who fills the bill perfectly. Her husband retired from the U.S. Navy as a Chief Petty Officer, after serving 25 years. He then worked at the Scarsdale (N.Y.) Post Office for 18 years. 

The Nemecs did not have children, giving Betty more of an opportunity to build close relationships with her three nieces, who are often her traveling companions. Betty and one niece are scheduled to go on the Del Webb's 50th Sun City cruise around Mexico this year. Traveling has always interested Betty, going to Europe every year with her husband, and never passing on the family's annual trip to Hawaii. "Everybody needs to go to Hawaii once in their life. Hawaii and Las Vegas," Betty said.

When in town, Betty considers shopping a sport. "When I go out in the morning, I'm on the island all over the place, shopping, doing things. I don't get back 1 or 2 o'clock," she said. 

Her extensive wardrobe is proof she's hit the stores. From sequined dresses fit for cruise ship dining at the captain's table (yes, she has photos), to the perfectly coordinated outfit suited for relaxing poolside at Sun City, Betty has a knack for fashion. Her critics spoke in 2003 when she was named "Mrs. Bluffton" in a fashion show.

Betty also has a special way of showing her compassionate side. After Hurricane Charley ripped through southeastern Florida in 2004, Betty wanted to give to those in need. She was invited to a local relief fund golf tournament at Hampton Hall where she left a lasting impression with her support. "You just don't meet someone like that every day. She's one of those good angels on earth that the good Lord put here," Steve Johnson, former Hampton Hall general manager, said that day.

Betty left another impression at the fundraiser too, her signature mark of dressing in hot pink. "He went crazy, that president (Johnson). He introduced me to all the men,'' Betty said.

Up Close:

Residence: Moved to Sun City from Bronxville, N.Y., in 1996 with her late husband Richard Nemec.
Appeal to the Color Pink: "It's feminine, and believe it or not, when you where pink a man will notice. He'll say, 'I love that jacket.'"
Advice to the Young Woman: "A career is important, but marriage and a family are more important."
Ways to Rejuvenate in 2011: "Travel more. I'd like to go to places in the U.S. where I have not been. I haven't seen a lot of the Midwestern states."