Ruth Elizabeth Hatchell

HATCHELL, Ruth Elizabeth (Betsy). “Betsy” Hatchell passed away peacefully at her home in Tyler, Texas, on September 17, 2003. She was born October 28, 1913, to Lofie Mae and Bedford T. Parten of the Nash Community near Waxahachie, Texas. Her childhood years were spent on the family farm. Later, she attended and graduated from public schools in Waxahachie. She was elected the third Queen of Waxahachie High School. After high school, Betsy attended Trinity University, which was then located in Waxahachie. Next, she attended the University of Texas when she, her mother, and her sister moved to Austin. In 1937, she met and married Austin Lee Hatchell of Longview, Texas. They had one son, Michael Austin, who was born in 1939. The family first lived in Longview, Texas, and later Lufkin, Texas, where Austin Lee pursued his legal career with his father, Austin Cleveland Hatchell. In 1942, the family moved to Austin, Texas, where Austin Lee took a position as an examiner with the Railroad Commission of Texas, and later with the Texas Railroad Lawyers Association before pursuing a private transportation law practice. After her marriage, Betsy spent her years in Austin as a devoted wife, mother, and homemaker, interspersed with occasional employment in the Texas Legislature. She was member of the University Baptist Church. She was also an active participant on the Texas Bluebonnet Committee, founded by her sister. In 1998, three years after Austin Lee’s death, Betsy moved to Tyler, Texas, where she became a resident of the Rosewood Estates Retirement Community and a member of Marvin United Methodist Church. Throughout her life, she valued and cherished a broad circle of family and friends in Austin and Tyler, all of whom remained a source of companionship, entertainment, inspiration, and comfort her entire life. Betsy is remembered for her genteel and kind manner, the deep love she had for her family, and her sense of humor which never left her. Betsy was preceded in death by her beloved husband and, just this year, by her sister, Morene Parten Cutler of Salado, Texas. She is survived by her son and daughter in law, Mike and Molly Hatchell, who practice appellate law in Tyler, Texas, two grandsons, David M. Hatchell of San Francisco, CA, and Christopher P. Hatchell, and wife Kimberly, of Charlottesville, VA; numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews from the Dale and Roger Sage Family of Longview, Texas, and her special friends, Tom and Ellen Sedberry, and their family. The family expresses its eternal gratitude to Betsy’s primary caregiver, Petro Smith, for enriching her life and providing her joy and comfort during her last year. A memorial service in honor of Betsy’s life will be held in the Chapel at Marvin United Methodist Church, Tyler, TX, on Saturday, September 20, 2003, at 10:00 am. A public graveside service will be held at Austin Memorial Park, 2800 Hancock Drive, Austin, Texas, on Sunday, September 21, 2003, at 4:00 pm. The family suggests memorials to the Power Praise Service at Marvin United Methodist Church, 300 West Erwin, Tyler, Texas 75702, or the Mother Frances Health Systems Foundation, 611 S. Fleischel, Tyler, TX 75701. Arrangements by Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, 3125 N. Lamar, Austin, TX 78705 – (512) 452-8811 You may view memorials online at www.wcfish.com