Betty Jane Bell Mohrman

Betty Mohrman lived 91 years full of service to others, love for her family and devotion to God and the church. She passed away on Monday, February 22, 2016 at Methodist Hospital in Houston, TX. A native Houstonian, she was born on March 10, 1924 at home on Arlington St in the Heights and was the only child of Eddith Fletcher Bell and LeRoy Bell.

She attended Immanuel Lutheran School, Alexander Hamilton Jr. High, John H. Reagan HS (1941) and loved riding her horse, Rags all around the neighborhood and along White Oak Bayou. In 1945, she graduated from the University of Houston with a B.S. in Drama and Education while serving as President of the Student Council, the Associate Editor of the Houstonian and a member of Alpha Psi Omega dramatic fraternity. She won the Outstanding Drama Award at U of H four years running and participated as a member of many other clubs and organizations.

After graduating from U of H, Betty traveled to New York City to attend the Irvine Studio for the Theatre. She lived in the Woodrow Hotel on W. 64th St. and attended just about every show in every theatre while in NYC. She also witnessed the World War II Victory over Japan Day celebrations during the summer of 1945.

Returning to Houston, Betty worked at the Texas Company in downtown Houston; she began as a receptionist, and then moved to personnel and research. She said she quit when she learned that they'd hired another young woman and were paying her more for the same position. At this point, Betty began her teaching career, beginning at San Jacinto HS, where she taught English and Drama to students not much younger than herself.

On June 19, 1946, Betty married Wiley Cooper Mohrman in Grace Methodist Church on Heights Blvd. She continued teaching at SJHS and recalled letting her male students leave class on April 16, 1947 to help with the recovery from deadliest industrial accident in U.S. history in Texas City.

Betty and Wiley subsequently moved to Tulsa, OK in the early 1950's when Wiley was transferred by his company, and she continued her teaching career at Will Rogers HS. She and Wiley enjoyed their years in Tulsa, where she learned to play golf at the Indian Hills Country Club. Her two sons, Joel Wiley Mohrman and Charles David Mohrmann were both born in Tulsa, but soon the family returned home to Texas.

As her boys grew up, Betty immersed herself in their lives, volunteering at their schools and taking leadership roles in their activities including spending countless hours helping with the library and being PTA president twice. She was extraordinarily creative, and enjoyed decorating her home for any and all holidays. The family loved to travel, taking long driving trips to the western national parks and other historic spots. One favorite destination was Lake Cherokee in east Texas, where they enjoyed many happy days at the home of Betty's cousins. Arthur and Eddith “Tootsie” Cooke.

Once her sons were independent and able to drive themselves, Betty returned to teaching English at the old Marian HS (situated on the site of the present day Episcopal HS ). Subsequently, she took the position of Research Librarian at American Capital Management, which she held until she retired in 1989.

After many years of membership in the Crusaders Class at Grace United Methodist Church in the Heights, the family transferred to St. Luke's United Methodist Church in 1968. Betty was an active member in the Unity Sunday School Class (formerly the Questers Class), serving as president and lead teacher numerous times over the years. Two of her friends from the class, Ray and Camille Simpson became her fellow "co-parents" when their daughter, Carol married Betty's elder son, Joel in 1979. A librarian at heart, Betty also volunteered for years in the church library in the pre-internet era, when the library collection was extensive, and church members of all ages checked books out to read at home and did their research there. Betty was a member of the Church and Synagogue Library Association and made invaluable contacts within the group. She especially enjoyed touring other churches’ libraries to get ideas for St. Luke’s. Just last year, St. Luke’s honored her with its “Distinguished Life Award”, in recognition of, and appreciation for her service over the years.

A longtime member of Brae Burn Country Club, Betty continued to enjoy good times there after transferring her membership to her son, Charles and his family, following the death of her husband in 1983.

Her interests included genealogy and she avidly researched her family tree and kept meticulous records. She served as president of the Houston Genealogical Society. Her hobbies also included antiquing, particularly collectibles, which she documented faithfully to record a “good value”.

Betty was a strong woman, proud of her Scots-Irish heritage and was not afraid to state her opinions, especially when she saw people being treating unfairly. She had no problem letting others know when they were out of line – always in the most polite terms, although an occasional “hells bells” might be uttered. She dearly loved all creatures great and small, and always had a menagerie of dogs and cats, along with other interesting pets that had been rescued and nursed back to health.

She eventually moved to The Buckingham, where she enjoyed meeting new friends and participating in activities with them. We would especially like to thank the staff of the 2nd floor of the Plaza, who tenderly and patiently cared for Betty in her final years and the Methodist Hospital CICU staff for their great care.

Survivors include her two sons and their families: Joel Wiley Mohrman and Carol Simpson Mohrman, and their daughter Shannon Mohrman (married to Kat Statman); Charles David Mohrmann and Mary Kay Fennell Mohrmann, and daughter Susannah Grace Mohrmann and son James Cooper Mohrmann.

Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family from five o’clock in the afternoon until seven o’clock in the evening on Friday, the 4th of March, in the drawing room of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston.

The memorial service is to be conducted at ten forty-five in the morning on Saturday, the 5th of March, in the Sanctuary of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 3471 Westheimer, where Dr. Linda Christians, Executive Pastor, is to officiate. Immediately following, all are invited to greet the family during a reception in the Hines Baker room. Due to construction, please park in the lot to the east of the church and follow the signs to enter the Sanctuary.

The family will gather for a private interment at Memorial Oaks Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please consider memorial gifts to St. Luke’s UMC, PO Box 22013, Houston, TX 77227-2013 (http://www.stlukesmethodist.org); the Houston SPCA, http://www.houstonspca.org or the American Heart Association, http://www.heart.org.

"...Grieve not, nor speak of me with tears, but laugh and talk of me as if I were beside you... I loved you so- 'twas Heaven here with you."

- Isla Paschal Richardson