Betty Smith

Betty Jean (Dunn) Smith passed away on March 20, 2019 in Fort Worth, Texas.
The family will receive friends Friday, March 22, 2019 at Crosier Pearson Funeral Home in Cleburne, Texas from 5:00 to 7:00. Family burial and remembrance will be at Poe Prairie Cemetery, Millsap, Texas.
Betty was born February 25, 1930 in Greenwood, Arkansas. She was the third of six children born to Elmer and Opal (Robertson) Dunn. She graduated from Greenwood High School in 1948 where she excelled in academics and basketball.
After meeting her handsome soldier on a blind date, she married Dan Smith Jr. in Las Cruces, New Mexico on May 3, 1950. She spent many years as a military wife, mother, and homemaker. She traveled around the world with her husband living in Japan, Germany, and Army posts across the United States. They celebrated 59 years together before his passing.
Betty was a member of the Church of Christ. She enjoyed singing traditional hymns and had a beautiful soprano voice.
Her interests included cooking (she made excellent pies), sewing, handwork, reading, and spending time with her family, especially her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.
As a young girl she had a desire and goal to attend college and become a teacher. In her late 30’s she seized the opportunity to fulfill her dream and began taking classes at San Antonio Junior College. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in 1974 and a Master of Arts in 1979 from Incarnate Word College. As a reading specialist she taught at Kirby Elementary School for twenty years.
Betty was preceded in death by her parents, husband, Dan Smith Jr, and siblings Virginia (Dunn) Lewis, Charles E. Dunn, Norma (Dunn) Pennington, and Mary C. Dunn. She is survived by two daughters, Patricia Cowell (David) of Cleburne, Texas, Lisa Butcher (Mark) of Cloudcroft, New Mexico; grandchildren, Kirk and Kasey Cowell, Brion, Patrick, and Melissa Butcher; 10 great grandchildren and one sister, Josephine (Dunn) Johnson of Greenwood, Arkansas.
The family is grateful to Wren Place in Cleburne for the care and love they have shown our mother the past 16 months. In lieu of flowers please make donations to Wren Place, 814 Woodward Ave, Cleburne, Texas or your favorite charity.