Betty Ann Food Shop Owner Billy Scantlebury Has Died

Betty Ann Food Shop owner Billy Scantlebury (pictured, left) died yesterday after a long illness, the business shared on Facebook.

The East Boston bakery had previously closed for 13 months for a medical issue, and when it reopened last summer, it limited its hours. The shop also closed to take "additional rest" this winter. As of late February, the staff was not sure when it would fully reopen. But "up until the very end [Scantlebury] thought about reopening the bakery and serving donuts to the community he loved so much," yesterday's Facebook post reads.

Betty Ann was opened by Scantlebury's grandfather in 1931 and is known for its old-school doughnuts — just cake rings, yeasted rings, crullers, and jelly doughnuts. Scantlebury made his grandfather's dough recipe from scratch every morning.