She was born in Mabel, MO on November 20, 1922 to Lester Earl McHenry and Elsie Grace Madison. Betty grew up on the family farm in Missouri until age 10 when they moved to a farm near Clyde, Kansas. Betty attended high school in Clyde, graduating in 1940. After high school, Betty moved to Salina, KS where she worked for her room & board and attended Brown-Mackie School of Business. In 1942 Betty started working for Western Union in Salina, KS and continued to work for them throughout World War II.
During her time with Western Union she worked in Salina, KS, Dallas, TX, San Antonio, TX, Washington, DC, and in New York City, NY. During her time in Salina, KS she met Bill Sessoms who was in the Army and was stationed in Salina. The couple were married in Clyde, KS on March 5th, 1944 at the Clyde Christian Church. Three weeks later Bill left for France and arrived at Normandy Beach on D-Day plus 6. In 1945, following the end of the war, Bill went home to NC and was joined by Betty. From 1945 thru 1948 they lived and worked in Lumberton, NC.
In 1948 the couple moved to Richmond, VA where Bill attended Dental School at the Virginia Medical College and Betty worked for a Wholesale Lumber Company and at the Virginia Military District. Following Bill's graduation in 1952, the couple moved to Greensboro, NC where Bill practiced dentistry for 32 years and Betty ran the office.
The couple was very active in the church at The First Baptist Church of Greensboro where she sang in the choir for many years. Betty and Bill enjoyed traveling domestically and Internationally, spending lots of time between North Carolina, Myrtle Beach and Florida. In 2004 Betty and Bill sold the Greensboro home and permanently moved to Stuart, Florida.
She is survived by her son Barry and wife Karen, and her son Brent, and grandsons Trey, Troy, Jonathan, and Nickolas, and her sister Winifred. She was preceded in death by her husband William Walter Sessoms, and her parents, and her sister Vivian.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The First Bapist Church of Greensboro, located at 1000 W. Friendly Ave, Greensboro, NC. or to a charity of your choice.
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