Betty Ann Arnold was born Aug. 20, 1938 in Chickasha, Oklahoma. She moved with her family to Durango, Colorado in the mid-1950s and graduated from Durango High School in 1956. She attended Fort Lewis College in Durango, UCLA in California for a semester, and BYU Business College in Utah (briefly until they kicked her out for drinking coffee). You don’t take away her coffee!
The moment she saw that handsome fellow singing in the Presbyterian church choir, she knew he would be her husband. Betty Ann married Donald L. Honeycutt on July 6, 1958 in Durango.
They had three daughters, Laura Dee, Tammy Kay, and Sheri Jeanne and, in 1966, their young family moved to Silverton, where Dad was the sole representative for Western Colorado Power Co. During the summers in Silverton, Mom worked in a candy shop and walked the streets of Silverton placing advertisements on cars, inviting the tourists to watch a documentary on Silverton’s history.
She hated the winters in Silverton, when the snow would pile up to the windows and, after six winters of cabin fever, decided it was time for the family to move back to Durango. After settling into our new home on Main Street, she joined a theater group and was thrilled to play the memorable character, Mrs. Doolittle, in a summer theater production of “My Fair Lady.”
Mom and Dad moved to Moab, Utah in 1979 and, after a number of years there, Dad retired from Utah Power and Light and they moved to Grand Junction.
Mom became a devoted caregiver to Dad after his onset of Lewy body dementia. When Dad died in October, 2011, Mom took on most of the tasks he used to do around the house – irrigating, yard work, keeping the household books and various home projects – like a pro. Mom loved the springtime and always looked forward to getting flowers into the soil. She loved the fall and its brilliance but she could do without the heat of the summer and the dreariness of winter.
She loved quilting and would lovingly craft quilts for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Mom researched the family genealogy – “genie” she called it – back to the Kings of England in the “olden days” a thousand years ago. She loved the Broncos, especially during the Peyton Manning era and attended a Broncos game in 2013, with seats near the field. She also collected angel figurines.
Mom’s heart was shattered when her youngest daughter, Sheri, passed away in 2005 at the age of 41. Her heart is whole now and we know their reunion was sweet. They are together once again, sharing recipes and shenanigans.
Mom loved many of God’s creatures during her 83 years – from the tortoise we picked up in Missouri trying to cross a back country road, to her guinea pigs and the plethora of dogs and cats that were a part of the family through the years.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Ernest and Elizabeth Arnold; husband, Donald L. Honeycutt; her brother, Eugene Arnold; and her daughter, Sheri Erwin.
She is very much missed by her four- legged boys — dogs, Alvin and Roddy and the cat, Domino.
Her two-legged survivors include daughters Dee (Ryan) Goodsell of Grand Junction and Tammy (Allen) Gemaehlich of Grand Junction. There are six grandchildren, Colby (Stefanie) Goodsell of Grand Junction; Chanel (Geoff) Crumbaugh of Palisade; Tech Sgt. Camille Goodsell serving in the Netherlands; Jon Fitzpatrick of Grand Junction; Kevin (Lacie) Fitzpatrick of Grand Junction; Paul (Jaime) Erwin of West Jordan, Utah and Chris Erwin of Ogden, Utah; great-grandchildren, Jayden and Jaycee Crumbaugh, Krosby and Blake Fitzpatrick, Connor Goodsell, Alba Erwin; and step great-grandchildren, Victoria and Lucas.
A celebration of life will be at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 21, at the Grand Junction First Church of the Nazarene, 2802 Patterson Road. In lieu of flowers, donations to any animal rescue or sanctuary would warm Betty’s heart.
