Elizabeth Annie Burton Shoebotham

On Wednesday, January 4, 2023, Elizabeth Annie “Bette” (Burton) Shoebotham, a beloved mother, grandmother, and aunt, passed away at the age of 100. Bette was predeceased by her husband, Leland Clifford “Lee” Shoebotham, who passed away on December 1, 1999, and her oldest son, Russell Arthur Shoebotham, who passed away on October 23, 2018. She leaves behind three children, Jonathan Burton Shoebotham (husband of Katherine McIlroy Shoebotham) and George Leland Shoebotham, both of Houston, TX, and Leslie Ann Shoebotham (wife of Jon Brook Robinson), of Mandeville, LA, and seven grandchildren: Amy Elizabeth (Shoebotham) Carter (wife of Marshall Carter), Kyle Burton Shoebotham (husband of Nicole Johnson), Haley Katherine Shoebotham, Luke Mulkerron Shoebotham, Connor Vail Lunney, Bryce Burton Lunney, and Grant Ingles Lunney.

Bette was born to Arthur Wendell Burton Sr. and Beulah Austin (Ingles) Burton, in Drumright, OK, on December 19, 1922. She was the granddaughter of George Boone and Annie Mary (Vail) Ingles, of Drumright, OK, and Henry and Elizabeth (Butcher) Phillips Burton, of Chicago, IL.

The Burton home where Bette grew up was a loving, boisterous, and playful place. Bette had four siblings to whom she remained devoted throughout their lives: Robert Vail Burton, Arthur Wendell Burton Jr., Marjorie Jean (Burton) Rogers, and George Clayton Burton. The world in which she grew up was very different from ours today. Bette experienced such momentous events as the Great Depression and World War II. In fact, Bette was living in Hawaii in 1945 on V-J Day and often recounted the extraordinary celebrations of that day—including her observations from a hillside perch above Pearl Harbor where she saw fireworks displays and, remarkably enough, witnessed the battleships in Pearl Harbor sounding their guns in celebration. World events were never her primary focus, however; it was always her family.

Bette grew up in Drumright, OK, and graduated from Drumright High School in 1940. While there, Bette had the lead role in the senior class play, Skidding. Bette was always interested in fashion, despite growing up during the Depression in a small dustbowl town. Throughout her childhood, she designed clothes for her paperdolls, using crayons to complete the ensembles. She remained a lifelong fashion plate, and made it a point to dress in classic good taste.

After graduating from high school, Bette attended Bristow Junior College in Bristow, OK for a year, and then transferred to Draughon’s Business College in Tulsa, OK. After graduating, Bette became quite the world traveler. She went to work for the Army Corps of Engineers for several years, which provided her the opportunity to live and work in Hawaii. After her stint in Hawaii, Bette returned to Tulsa, where she worked at Williams Brothers. When an opportunity to work in Beirut, Lebanon, came up, Bette jumped at the chance.

It was in Beirut that Bette met her future husband Lee. Bette’s recollections of Beirut were especially vivid. It was a beautiful, accepting, cosmopolitan city in the days before the civil war—a perfect place to fall in love. Bette and Lee married on February 4, 1951 in a small ceremony at the Hoskins Memorial Chapel of the Near East School of Theology in Beirut. The couple honeymooned in Egypt. Soon thereafter, they moved to Caracas, Venezuela, where Lee worked for Williams Brothers. The couple returned to Tulsa in 1952, where they had their four children and lived until 1965. Lee’s work at Esso (and later Exxon) took the family to Charlotte, NC in 1965 and then to Houston, TX in 1975. Bette resided in Houston until her death.

Bette was a devoted mother to her children—everything from nightly home-cooked meals to homemade Halloween costumes. She was an excellent artist and often had the den set up with an easel for her oil painting activities. And her paintings were quite good; several were framed and hung in Bette’s home over the years. But the true joy of Bette’s life was her seven grandchildren. She often said she could not believe her good fortune in having such lovely and talented grandchildren. Of course, that was no accident. Bette’s love for her children set the tone for all of their households.

Bette was blessed with a long life. She was also blessed with excellent health. Until the onset of her final illness in December 2022, Bette resided in assisted living and remained completely ambulatory with a walker. She took great satisfaction (and would be quick to tell you) that people could not believe she was so old. She remained young looking throughout her life. Bette celebrated her 100th birthday in the hospital surrounded by her children. She passed peacefully in her sleep on January 4, 2023. She will be missed.

A celebration of life for Elizabeth will be held Saturday, January 21, 2023 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Earthman Resthaven Funeral Home, 13102 North Fwy, Houston, TX 77060.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Elizabeth's memory may be made to Wreaths Across America, www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/pages/174895.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.earthmanresthavenfuneralhome.com for the Shoebotham family.