Betty L. Collette (Lebanon)'s Obituary
Betty Laverne Collette, daughter of Chester Roy and Susie Mae Gollehon Mason, was born July 3, 1934, in Post, Texas. She departed this life Saturday, November 14, 2020, in Quail Creek Skilled Nursing Center, in Springfield, Missouri, at the age of eighty-six years, four months, and eleven days.
On April 19, 1968, she was united in marriage to Ernest H. Collette, and they shared forty-two years before his passing on October 17, 2010.
She was also preceded in death by her parents; a daughter, Lori Ann Collette; and a granddaughter, Caitlyn Cribbs.
Betty is survived by a daughter, Kristi Cribbs, of Battlefield, Missouri; two sons, Ernest Collette, and his wife, Pam, of Springfield, Missouri, and Daryl Anderson, of Lubbock, Texas; four granddaughters, Marisa Maldonado, Dyan Covington, Jesse Cribbs, and Brooke Collette; a great-grandson, Anthony Yannessa; as well as a host of other relatives and friends.
She was born and raised in Texas and attended school at Levelland, Wollforth, and Roosevelt High School in Texas. She later moved to California, where she became an Escrow officer and then an office manager. After she and Ernest were married, the family moved to Lebanon, Missouri in 1976. Betty was a devoted homemaker and loving mother to her family and also worked for the Missouri Division of Employment Security for many years, retiring in 1997. In 2013, Betty moved to Springfield, but always considered Lebanon her home.
Betty had a strong faith and was a member of both Sleeper United Methodist Church and First Congregational Church (United Church of Christ) in Lebanon. She continued to be involved in both churches for many years and had served as organist and pianist at both churches.
She had a great love for music and played the accordion along with the piano and organ. She had provided music for numerous weddings, funerals and church services through the years. Betty enjoyed quilting and knitting in her spare time. She also enjoyed watching the Missouri State University Lady Bears games. Her family was very dear to her and she was proud to be a Marine Corp wife for 42 years! She especially enjoyed time with her granddaughters and great-grandson.
Betty was a loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and was a caring neighbor and friend. We celebrate her life and know that her family and friends will cherish the wonderful memories she created for them during her lifetime.
Funeral services for Betty will be Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. at Holman-Howe Funeral Home in Lebanon. Burial will follow in Mount Rose Memorial Park. Friends may call at their convenience.
A memorial has been established to COPE House in Lebanon.
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