Betty Jean Applegate

Jean, as she preferred from a young age, was born to Joseph and Vera (Simpson) Potts. It was in the early years of The Great Depression, so the family moved around the southern California area wherever work was available. Looking back, this seemed to instill a valuable lesson in Jean's life. In 1947, she met the love of her life, Bill Applegate and they married on October 23, 1948. On December 24, 1950, their only child Donna Jean was born.

Jean worked many various jobs as a teenager, but in the early 1950's, like many others of her age, she began working in the aircraft industry. She was employed at Hughes Aircraft until 1969 and even got to meet the elusive Howard Hughes.

Bill had always wanted to leave the hustle and bustle of California, and yearned for an area he remembered as a teenager. In the fall of 1969, they sold their home in Westminster, California and moved to Oregon City, Oregon. They settled on a fifteen acre farm and loved the openness of country living. Jean loved gardening...anything from flowers to vegetables...but in 1980, she found another love, Beagles.

In 1985, she got her first show dog, Sugar, and as they say, the rest is history. Bill worked hard building kennels and fencing in runs, while Jean built up her business. In 1992, a group of fellow Beagle enthusiasts formed the Columbia Willamette Beagle Club. She continued breeding and showing her dogs, and after Bill passed away in 1997, she decided to expand her business to include boarding. After a stroke in 2007, the business was closed and she sold her home and moved to Sandy, Oregon to be close to her daughter and son-in-law. She lived there with her two beloved Beagles, Rhapsody and Desi until 2013 when her health declined and she moved to assisted living. In January 2017, she moved to Vancouver, Washington to be closer to her family in an adult foster home.

She was preceded in death by her parents, sister, and husband of forty-nine years. She is survived by her daughter, Donna Wheeler (Herb) of Vancouver, Washington, granddaughters Lisa Milton (Greg) of Eugene, Oregon, Lori Lee (Dave) of Vancouver, Washington, and four great-grandchildren, Lexi & Zack Milton of Eugene, Oregon, and Austin and Caden Lee of Vancouver, Washington and many nieces and nephews.