Betty Mooneyham Jennings passed away on April 23, 2021, in Mansfield, Texas. Born Betty Louise Chambers on August 17, 1929, in Love County, Oklahoma, she was the daughter of Armer B. and Edna A. (Johnson) Chambers, and the youngest of four children. Betty grew up in Oklahoma but moved to Sherman, Texas, to live with her sister, Sybil Sanders, graduating from Sherman High School in 1947. She began her career as a bookkeeper in downtown Sherman, where she met W.M. “Mike” Mooneyham, a U.S. Marine recruiter who was working nearby. They were married on May 10, 1950. Mike’s military career kept them on the move during their early years together. While living in Fort Worth, Betty worked for Stanlon Oil and Gas Company until her son, Michael Kipley “Kip” Mooneyham, was born on February 23, 1953. The family then moved to Beaufort, South Carolina, where a daughter, Lissa Ann Mooneyham, was born on November 26, 1955. After a move to California they returned to Texas for good and finally settled in Arlington in 1962 after Mike retired from the military.
Betty spent the rest of her career working in the Arlington Independent School District, first as a school secretary at Maxie Speer Elementary, then at Louise Blanton Elementary, and finally in administrative accounting. She joined First Christian Church of Arlington in 1962 and was a lifelong member. Betty also enjoyed being a member of the Arlington Woman’s Club.
After Mike’s passing in 1980, Betty met William E. “Bill” Jennings, who was also a member of First Christian Church and who had also lost a spouse in 1980. Betty and Bill, a flight engineer for Bell Helicopter, were married on July 2, 1982, blending their two families into one with two sons and two daughters. They built a home on the golf course at Walnut Creek Country Club in Mansfield, where they graciously entertained friends and ever-larger gatherings of family as their children married and had children of their own, and eventually great-grandchildren joined the family.
In addition to spending time with friends and family, Betty enjoyed traveling the world, especially via cruise ship after she and Bill retired. Betty loved to dance; she and Bill were members of Bailando Dance Club in Fort Worth. They were also members of Walnut Creek Country Club and enjoyed attending productions at Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth. Betty was a member of Mansfield Women’s Club, P.E.O., and also volunteered at Methodist Mansfield Medical Center. In addition to her many social clubs and commitments, Betty loved to read and was a lifelong library patron. She also enjoyed doing crossword puzzles in quieter moments, and she was an avid gardener. Everyone who knew her appreciated her warm and loving nature, and she will be greatly missed.
Betty was preceded in death by her parents, her first husband, her brothers Brady and Tom, her sister Sybil, and their spouses.
She is survived by her husband, William E. Jennings, her children and their spouses, Kip Mooneyham and wife Jenni, Lissa Dunlay and husband Jon, her stepdaughter Cathey Petrey and husband Michael, her stepson Bill Jennings and wife Barbara, her grandchildren, Michael Mooneyham and wife Aubrey, Margaret Terwey and husband Aaron, Emily Dunlay, Jennifer Holmes, Dylan Petrey, Linda Hottenstein and husband Andy, and Christine Eikenberry and husband Brian, and her great-grandchildren, Hendrix Mooneyham, Will Terwey, Louise Terwey, Aubrey Hottenstein, Ashlynn Hottenstein, and Luke Eikenberry. In addition, she leaves behind nieces and nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, cherished friends, and many loved ones.
Memorials may be given in her memory to First Christian Church of Arlington or to a charity of your choice.
Visitation will be from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 2, 2021, at Moore Funeral Home, 1219 North Davis Drive, Arlington, TX 76012..
Private funeral services will be held at First Christian Church of Arlington, followed by burial at Moore Memorial Gardens.
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