Betty Lou Jarvis

Visitation will be from 5-8 p.m. May 22 at Callahan-Edfast Mortuary. Services will take place at 10 a.m. May 23 at the First United Methodist Church. Burial will follow at 1 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Cemetery of Western Colorado.

She worked in real estate.

Survivors include two sons, Butch of Grand Junction and Fred of Palisade; two daughters, Patti Barrett and Virginia Blanchat, both of Grand Junction; two brothers, Jim Vancil of Grand Junction and Joe Vancil of Moab, Utah; 14 grandchildren; and 21 great-grandchildren.

Betty Lou Jarvis

April 2, 1923 - May 14, 2017

Betty Lou Jarvis passed away at Hospice on May 14, 2017, at the age of 94.

Betty Lou is predeceased by her husband of nearly 70 years, Bill Jarvis; her parents, Bill and Lena Vancil; brothers, Jack, Al, and Bill; sisters, Helen, Isabel, Dorthy, and Lucy, as well as grandson, Hamish Barrett.

Betty is lovingly remembered and survived by her brothers, Joe Vancil of Moab, Utah, and Jim Vancil of Grand Junction, Colorado. Betty had four children, Butch Jarvis (Shirley) with children, Joe, Bobby, and Bea; son, Fred Jarvis (Patricia) and children, Jim, Tom, Corrie, and Amanda; daughter, Patti Barrett (Lester) and children, Hamish, Kate, Caleb, and MacKenzie, and daughter, Ginger with children, Sam, Megan, and Molly. She has a legion of grandchildren and great-grandchildren that will all greatly miss her.

Betty Lou was born in the San Luis Valley, Colorado, on April 2, 1923. She graduated from Clifton High School, one of only five classes to graduate from Clifton. After graduation, she began working at the telephone company and enjoyed her job as a phone operator. Betty met Bill Jarvis soon after, and they were married May 10, 1942. Betty was one of the few women that followed her husband during World War II, as Bill was posted to different army camps in different states. Her first two children were born in Mississippi and Arkansas. After the war they settled down in Grand Junction, Colorado, and completed their family.

Betty Lou and Bill owned and operated Bill's Body Shop for over 30 years in downtown Grand Junction. They also owned Bill's Towing and American Auto Salvage. Both Betty and Bill participated in the business as they built and expanded. They were able to retire early from the businesses and travel. They both shared interests in hunting, fishing, boating, and travel. They enjoyed traveling the United States, Alaska, and New Zealand.

Betty is well known as a great candy cook and a great down-home cook. Her holiday parties were lovely and well done with great food. She was often a hostess to many people that had hard times while traveling through our city. Betty had a sense of humor that was often found in jokes she played on others, and she had the capacity to tell endless jokes for hours on end, entertaining those around her with her mirth.

One of the most memorable points in her life was helping pass the Tabor Amendment in Colorado. She joined the political realm and enjoyed all of those that she met and worked with. She was very gratified that the Tabor Amendment passed and that she had worked so hard for the benefit of those in Colorado. Later in life she discovered opera and classical music, as well as reading.

Funeral services for Betty Lou will be held at the Methodist Church, 522 White Avenue, Grand Junction, CO, Tuesday, May 23, at 10:00 a.m. A reception will follow the service at the church. Interment will be at Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 2830 Riverside Parkway, Grand Junction, CO, at 1:00 p.m. that afternoon.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to HopeWest Hospice, 3090B N. 12th Street, Grand Junction, CO 81506.