Betty Weatherford

She spent most of her childhood in Ewing, MO, where her father managed the Ewing Service Station. The family lived in an apartment behind the station. They moved across the Mississippi River to Quincy, IL in 1943, where Betty graduated from Quincy High School in 1945.

Shortly after graduation, she was invited by a friend to celebrate Easter with his family on their farm. While there, she met her friend’s “handsome cousin,” Raymond Donovan Weatherford. Ray and Betty were married on December 7, 1946. They were devoted to each other and their family for 68 years, until his death on May 31, 2015.

In 1955, Ray was transferred to New Jersey, so he and Betty drove from Quincy to Elizabeth, NJ with two little girls and a parakeet. After two years, he was transferred again, this time to Florida where the family lived, first in Tarpon Springs, then in Clearwater.

Betty was a dedicated and caring wife and mother. Her primary interests focused on her four daughters, and she was always there when her girls got home from school, ready to listen to what happened that day. She spent many hours volunteering in support of their school activities. She helped with Girl Scouts and mended band uniforms. She liked to help cater weddings with her friends from church and served as an election poll worker.

Betty enjoyed sewing and made beautiful clothes for her daughters and herself. She also enjoyed making gifts for family and friends. Her favorite craft was counted cross stitch. The beautiful, intricate pictures she made hang in all our homes. She passed her knowledge and talents on to her four daughters. Her love and guidance created four strong independent women.

She is survived by four daughters, Donna (Donald) Jacobs, Shirley Schmidt, Leslie (Mark) Miskove, and Trudy (Shawn) McCann, as well as her brother, Billy White. She was blessed with nine grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandchild, with another great grandson and great-great grandson on the way. She is preceded in death by her husband Ray, her parents, Oren and Gertrude, brother Kenneth, and an infant son, Bradley Ray.

Visitation will be held at Sylvan Abbey Funeral Home in Clearwater, Florida on April 18, 2026, from 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm, followed by a 1:00pm Celebration of Life in the same location.

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