Betty Hall Pearson, of Tulsa, passed away Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. She was 100 years old.

Betty was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, on Sept. 29, 1922, to John and Gillye Hall. She lived in Muskogee until graduation from high school, after which she embarked on the adventure of a lifetime. That summer, her father took her to Oklahoma City to board a train bound for Washington, D.C., where she had accepted a job at FBI headquarters. It was 1940, a time of unprecedented expansion in federal agencies in the wake of the Great Depression, and one of the most historic times in the nation's history. Betty would be joining thousands of other young Americans at the time who faced few job prospects at home, and who were eager to start a new life. Little did they know they would have front-row seats to the unfolding of history. Betty remembered federal employees rushing to work in the immediate aftermath of Pearl Harbor, and the spirit and passion that permeated the city when war broke out, and during the years that followed.

While working in Washington, she attended church at the same Baptist church sometimes attended by presidents -- and by a handsome young man from Tahlequah named Joe Pearson, her future husband. He served as a pilot in the Navy during the war, and they married on Nov. 11,1945 -- coincidentally the same day the war was ended.

Joe also went to work for the federal government, eventually becoming an FBI agent, and the couple spent the next 12 years moving from city to city as he advanced in his career. They raised three children, all of whom were born in different cities due to Joe's frequent transfers.

Joe eventually obtained a transfer to Tulsa that he had requested, and she and Joe were thrilled to move back to Oklahoma after their family was complete. They enjoyed their retirement years together in Tulsa until his death in 2001.

She thoroughly enjoyed her professional life in Washington, but her real passion and purpose in life was her home and family. She was an excellent cook and accomplished seamstress, and also was endowed with considerable artistic talent. She had a deep love for animals that she passed on to her children. Her dancing ability landed her a job teaching dance -- a skill she did not pass on to her children. She also had a keen interest in current events and the news of the day, and kept up with developments daily. Even well into her 90s, she was up to date on the news, and she wasn't shy about debating the news of the day. Betty was also famous for her common sense and no-nonsense, practical approach to just about everything. And, she was an ardent college football fan, a passion she indulged right up to the end.

Betty is survived by daughter Janet Pearson Nix (Jeff) of Tulsa, son Robert Pearson (Marianne) of Bend, Oregon, and grandson Nick Gude and great-grandson Mason Gude of Boise, Idaho. She was preceded in death by her parents, and her daughter, Donna Pearson Gude.

Private family service.

Moore's Southlawn Chapel 918-663-2233