Betty J. Huffman

Born: April 16, 1927

Died: October 30, 2019

Age: 92

Ancestor history:

Betty's maternal grandfather and great-grandfather were both doctors. Her great-grandfather fought in the Civil War for the South. He was captured by northern soldiers and had a nasty leg wound. The "Yankee" doctor wanted to remove his leg, and he told them he would do it himself - which, as the story goes, he did. He also made his wooden leg (which would bend at the knee joint) while a prisoner of war. Her paternal grandparents ultimately settled in Ennis, Texas, and her maternal grandparents in Ellis County, Texas in the small settlement of Red Oak.

Betty's mother was also married to a soldier, but they were later divorced. Betty's half-brother, Joe M. Matlock, was born of this union. Her only niece, Drew Matlock Reining, lives in Corpus Christi, Texas with her husband Jay.

Early Life:

Betty was the only daughter of William Carroll Finklea and Susan Elizabeth (Haynes) Finklea. Her dad was so excited that when he was preparing the birth announcement he entered her year of birth as 1928 (making her a year old at the time she was born). Her dad worked for the Axtell Company, in Fort Worth. Axtell was one of only two windmill manufacturers that produced windmills on a large scale in Texas from the 1890s. Carroll was a shipping clerk at the Fort Worth plant, and walked 3.5 miles to and from work each day. Susan was a home nurse at the time of Betty's birth, and then later became a Licensed Vocational Nurse working at Harris Hospital in Fort Worth.

When she was five years of age, her paternal grandfather died, and she went to Houston, Texas to spend several months there in comfort to her Grandmother Finklea. She started school in Houston, and her aunt and uncle would walk her to school before they went to work. In the afternoon, however, she was to walk herself home. She told that when she had to walk alone, she would always be treated to a triple-decker ice cream cone.

In Fort Worth, Betty attended Denver Avenue Elementary School, J.P. Elder Junior High, and Trimble Technical High School. She graduated from high school at age 16 and worked at the cookie counter at Leonard's Department Store.

Something not known about Betty, was her writing a story about her life, and telling that she finished high school she planned to enter training as a nurse. She said "because mother was a nurse, I think I would also like to be one." Also, she wrote "someday I would like to have a small family and live very happy thereafter." Indeed she did!

Married Life:

Betty met the love of her life, James O. Huffman (Jimmy), and married him when she was but 17, and he was 20. It was a tough time during WWII to start a young life together. Carroll felt she was too young to be getting married, and refused to walk her down the aisle as a consequence. However, the marriage was to be and on January 13, 1945, Betty became forever known as Betty Jane Huffman. It was and would continue to be apparent how much they loved each other. Their marriage took place at Boulevard Methodist Church in Fort Worth, a place in which Betty had worshiped for as long as she could remember. Her best friend and maid-of-honor, Betty Ruth Sears. played the piano.

Jimmy had joined the Navy Reserve at 17 years of age, during WWII. He was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia, aboard the battleship USS Wyoming. During part of his training and deployment, Betty lived with Navy friends in Craddock Gardens, Virginia, but then upon Jimmy's extended voyage, she returned to Fort Worth to live.

By January 21, 1949, Donna Jane Huffman became baby number one for Betty and Jimmy. Donna was born in Canyon, Texas, as the Huffmans had moved there so that Jimmy could attend West Texas State College and earn a degree in accounting. He was working at the National Guard Armory during this time as well. When the Korean Conflict arose, Jimmy once again became active duty in the Navy and was deployed on the USS Guadalupe. Betty and Donna stayed in Canyon, living in a very small trailer. Betty had a job as a clerk working in the local tax office at the County courthouse. Friends helped to look after them while Jimmy was away.

After finishing college, Jimmy got a job working for Continental Oil Company, where he would remain employed for the next 28 years. They moved back to Fort Worth, and Betty became a stay-at-home mom. By July 7, 1957, baby number two, Carol Jean Huffman was born, and on June 25, 1960 baby number three arrived - John Charles Huffman.

Working for an oil company meant transfers to various locations throughout the southern region. Moves were made from Texas, to Arkansas, to Oklahoma during the 47 years of marriage of Betty and Jimmy. Betty commented that she had lived in 44 locations in her years of life.

Jimmy retired from Conoco in 1985, and after thirty years of being a full-time mother and homemaker, she secured a job with Brown and Root. She told him that she was going to work so that he could "adjust" to retirement, and, once that adjustment was made, she would retire.

While living in Arlington, Texas, and after several years of poor health, Jimmy became gravely ill and died on November 27, 1991. He was buried in a small country cemetery outside of Fort Worth, in Johnson County Texas, Pleasant Point Cemetery. She will be interred alongside him and they will be reunited once more.

Later life:

Betty remained a widow for the rest of her days. She lived in Texas, Pennsylvania, and finally in Columbus, Ohio with her daughter Carol. No matter where she lived, she was active and involved in church - First Methodist Church in Arlington, Texas; Grandview UMC in Lancaster, PA, and Worthington UMC in Ohio, as well as becoming a very active member of the Society of Military Widows. She loved learning to use the computer, and stayed in touch with friends via email. She loved crafting, primarily making beautiful greeting cards. She became immersed in tracking her family history, following both sides of her family lineage back to the early 1700's.

She loved having her grandchildren visit, and laughed often with Laura, Adam, Jill, and Janelle. However, perhaps even more (if possible) she loved, loved being around her four great-grandsons: Colin, Garrett, Henry, and Andrew. These four little men made her feel so special as "Grandma Betty" and were always happy to see her. She made certain that on each holiday, birthday, and other days to celebrate - she sent a card, which had a $1 bill enclosed. These little guys loved seeing a card arrive from her. Because of her generosity of sending one dollar at a time, a few years back great-grandson Garrett is quoted as saying that "Grandma Betty is trying to give away all of her money before she dies!"

For all of her 92 years, Betty loved, lived, and was steadfast in her faith. This faith was never more apparent than in her last few months of life. After her diagnosis in June 2019 with Stage III Esophageal Cancer, she taught everyone a lesson of how to live life full of faith, and how to cherish all of those around her. Even in the face of the disease, she faced life with courage and resolve, and set an example of refusing to yield to the ravages of her illness. Until her very last breath, she made us all feel loved and special, and we know she is dancing on the clouds with Jimmy and so many who passed before her.