Betty Lou Wells Hatheway, 86, passed away Monday, June 10, 2019 in Tulsa, OK. Betty was born on January 30, 1933 in Lona Valley, Oklahoma. Her birth certificate officially lists her place of birth as Kinta, Oklahoma, the nearest post office to her birthplace located about twelve miles away. Betty is the only child of two school teachers, her father John Aubrey Wells, and her mother, Edith Nicholson Wells.
The family lived in Lona Valley until Betty was the age of 9 when they moved to Portland, Oregon and lived there until 1945. After Oregon, Betty enjoyed a happy childhood in Stigler, Oklahoma with her loving parents. Upon graduating high school Betty decided to attend college at Oklahoma A&M in Stillwater, Oklahoma where Betty joined the Alpha Chi Omega Sorority and earned a Bachelor's Degree. She was very proud of her 50 Year Member Pin she received from the sorority and she supported anything about OSU for the rest of her life.
Shortly before graduating from college, Betty met a handsome young fraternity man from Tulsa, Oklahoma named John Lockwood Hatheway. However, a job with the Skelly Company took Betty to Tulsa soon after graduation. As fate would have it, Betty and John met again and started dating in Tulsa. The couple was married in 1956 in Stigler.
John's job took the couple to West Texas to a place called Bowie, Texas. It was a short but less than memorable time for Betty in Bowie until John's project was over but they did move back to Tulsa after the Bowie job to start John's new job with William Brothers Engineering Company. In Tulsa, John and Betty started their family in 1959, with their first child, Eric Wells Hatheway. Soon to follow was John Kent Hatheway in 1962 and Lynne Elizabeth Hatheway (Anthony) in 1964.
The following years saw Betty being the most wonderful mother three children could ever hope to have. She was also known to take several of her children's friends under her wing along the way. Betty regularly volunteered her time to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the March of Dimes over the years. As an avid bridge player, Betty played bridge throughout her life and was involved with several regular groups of bridge players. She maintained lifelong friendships with her sorority sisters and attended OSU basketball and football games on a regular basis.
In addition to her three children and husband of 62 years, Betty is survived by her grandchildren, Ryan Tyler Anthony, Kyle Matthew Anthony, John Reese Hatheway and Taylor McKynna Hatheway. She is also survived by her Daughters-in-Law, Bari Catherwood Hatheway and Jennifer Manley Hatheway. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to Betty's favorite charities, The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, The March of Dimes, The American Lung Association or The Alzheimer's Association.
Visitation will be 2-4 P.M., Sunday, June 16, 2019 at Moore's Southlawn, 9350 E. 51st, Tulsa, OK. Funeral service will be 10:00 A.M., Monday, June 17, 2019 at John Knox Presbyterian Church, 2929 E. 31st, Tulsa, OK. Moore's Southlawn 918-663-2233 share memories at www.moorefuneral.com