Last night we went to the funeral of a very special lady, Mrs. Betty Head. I had the honor of sharing a little about my experiences knowing her for pretty much my whole life. Here’s the text of what I shared.
My name is Kelley Vaughan. I gave the honor tonight if sharing a little about my experiences knowing Mrs. Betty for, well, my whole life. She was my mom’s best friend. We lived in the same neighborhood. I played baseball with her kids. She was pretty much stuck with me.
It’s important at times like this to come together. And coming together means more than just getting together for a quick lunch at Shrimp n Stuff. It means encouraging one another.
One of the best ways to encourage one another is to remember Mrs. Betty together—out loud. Get together and share some of the things you remember. Little things. Things that inspired you. Things that taught you. Things that made you laugh and things that made you cry.
Things like these …
Her Youth
Robert and I were reminiscing the other day about an old black and white photo we both have digital copies of. In that photo are a group of absolutely gorgeous babes at the beach. But wait! Upon closer examination … among those gorgeous babes are … OUR MOMS! Wow. But they really were beautiful. Guess that’s where we got our good looks, huh, Robert?
One other thing about Mrs. Betty’s youth … she was really proud of her Daddy. His name was Robert Spoor. He was football coach and athletic director at Ball High School for many years. As a result, the current Ball High School practice field behind the school campus is named after him. That’s where this story comes in. The field had a really nice sign attached to the fence indicating its designation as Spoor Field. One day Mrs. Betty was driving by the field, as was her custom, and she noticed that the sign had fallen to the ground. Well, she was not about to stand for that. She whipped to the side of the road and picked up the sign. She carried it into the office and demanded that it be rehung and restored to its proper place. Apparently, the Ball High administration was not about to argue with Mrs. Betty. Would you? Oh, no. The sign was back up the next day.
In the Neighborhood
I had the good fortune of growing up in the same neighborhood as Mrs. Betty. Even had the chance to play baseball with Robert when we were growing up. Now, it is true that Mrs. Betty was generally overshadowed by the loud personality of her husband Paul. But I have a sneaking suspicion that it was really Mrs. Betty who ran the show.
Trinity Episcopal Church
Mrs. Betty was a long time and very faithful member of Trinity Episcopal Church. I know she was involved with many things over the years, but I often heard her talk about her responsibilities with the altar guild, that behind the scenes group that sees to it that everything is ready for the service long before worshippers arrive.
UTMB
How’s this for a career? Mrs. Betty worked at UTMB until she was 90 years old. She was proud to tell was of the time she was selected to go to Mexico City for some training. And it was kind of fun to hear her talk about our revered doctors as if they were just another of the youngsters coming through her lab.
Moody Gardens
Mrs. Betty was a founding member of Friends of Moody Gardens. Honestly, I’m not sure what Mrs. Betty did when she volunteered at Moody Gardens, but we did see a lot of that Moody Gardens t-shirt. Maybe a docent in one of the pyramids, or perhaps a consultant for landscaping?
Oleander Society
Speaking of landscaping, Mrs. Betty’s pride and joy was most assuredly the Oleander Society. You really can’t even mention oleanders in Galveston without her name being connected in some way. There is a park full of oleanders here in Galveston actually named after her. In fact, as I understand it, there is a species of oleander named after her as well. She often spoke about oleanders to groups all over the country. I know about that one because she asked me to help her prepare a powerpoint presentation one time. And that dedication wasn’t just academic. I can’t count the number of times she yelled at me when I threatened to trim the big oleander bush in our front yard. “Don’t you dare trim the oleander until I have had a chance to gather the seeds! And that doesn’t happen until September!”
Wednesday Club
Mrs. Betty was also instrumental in keeping afloat one of the oldest women’s groups in the country. This one developed into kind of a book club, where the members would take turns sharing a book report on some topic of interest.
Salvation Army
In her “spare time” Mrs. Betty would make her way over to the Salvation Army building. Once a week she would help feed the homeless through their program, often staying until she was exhausted – but fulfilled.
Home Church
Many weeks, right after spending hours feeding the homeless, Mrs. Betty would head right to our house where she became an integral part of our home church group. The group really came to love her. In fact they saw to it that the most comfortable recliner was reserved for Mrs. Betty. They still refer to that chair as Mrs. Betty’s! She often had the most insightful questions, and she certainly proved that she loved the Lord and that she knew a lot of stuff!
My Mom’s best friend
Wow. I think you all would agree that Mrs. Betty certainly had an effect on pretty much everyone she met. But for me, as awesome as she was in all these other areas, I most appreciate Mrs. Betty for the impact she had on my Mom. They were friends for a multitude of years, from way back in their bathing beauty days. It was Mrs. Betty who invited my Mom to, and kept my Mom involved in, Wednesday Club, Moody Gardens activities, and Oleander Society. She displayed a level of friendship that certainly went above and beyond the call of ordinary duty until the day Mom died. Mrs. Betty was, and will always be, my Mom’s best friend.
Thank you, Mrs. Betty, from all of us.
Thanks for the messages on your phone
They cheered us up when we felt alone
We’ll be fine down here somehow
So we’ll say just, “Bye Bye now.”
You all have stories about Mrs. Betty that you will never forget. Help others never forget … with you! Remember together … out loud.
Proverbs 12:25 says, Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.
Father God, thank you for being right here with us. Thank you for these friends and family who have been touched by Mrs. Betty. Our prayer for today is that you will surround them all with your peace that passes all understanding. Our prayer for tomorrow? The same. One day at a time, walk with them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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