Betty Lou Upchurch, a devoted mother who worked on the railroad and in sales before embarking on a long career in law enforcement, died at her home in Bryan on Aug. 10. She put a lot of miles under her belt in nearly 79 years on earth.
Born in the Central Texas town of McGregor on Aug. 19, 1941, to Ina Lou and Trigg Upchurch, Betty Lou was a vivacious figure in an era she often recalled as something straight out of "American Graffiti.” The McGregor High Bulldog annuals of the late ‘50s provided plenty of photographic evidence – as a majorette, a Miss MHS, and a well-rounded and popular student. At home, she was little sister to TJ Upchurch and Doug Upchurch, both of whom preceded her in death.
After high school and a stint at business school in Waco, Betty joined the Santa Fe Railroad. She met and married Bill Crocker – yes, for nearly two decades she put up with Betty Crocker jokes – at the depot in Galveston, and they had a son on the island. The railroad took the family on a roundabout route to Houston, where she worked as a switchboard operator downtown. She and her son took many trips together on the Texas Chief between Houston and McGregor.
Betty sold World Book Encyclopedias in and around Pearland in the 1970s. After the marriage ended, Betty’s travels took her to Alvin, where she worked as a police dispatcher, following in the footsteps of her mother, Ina Lou, a longtime dispatcher for the McGregor Police Department. She moved to Austin and then to Round Rock, where she again worked at the PD.
But it was in Aggieland that Betty, by then Betty Crocker LeMay, would spend the biggest period of her life. She worked for College Station PD, again as a dispatcher, and then in her early 40s was accepted into the Police Academy. She joined the Texas A&M University Police Department as an officer. Over the next two decades, Betty chased a few bad guys, worked a lot of brutally hot football games and helped build the Crime Prevention unit with the same enthusiasm and boundless energy she applied to every other challenge life put before her.
Sgt. LeMay was most proud of the President’s Meritorious Service Award she received in 1999. It was also pretty cool that she had an Aggie Fish Camp named for her one year.
In Bryan, Betty met Mark Williamson, and those two had a lot of fun over many years either at home, on the road to Colorado, or prowling the Texas Hill Country. Mark was a source of invaluable assistance and comfort in the last few years as she struggled with illness.
Betty is survived by her son, Ronnie Crocker, and wife, Patricia Shepherd, of Houston, and a number of nieces and nephews who confided in her over the years. All are grateful for the time they spent together and the indelible imprint she left on their lives.
Visitation will be 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at Cole Funeral Home, followed by a graveside funeral service at McGregor Cemetery at 11:30 a.m. Thursday.
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