Betty Ellen Watters

Betty Watters died peacefully on August 12, 2015 in Odessa.

Born Betty Ellen White on August 2, 1916 to Benjamin and Beda White of Bristol, Colo., she graduated high school in Granada, Colo. and taught grades K-12 in a one-room school house in Colorado after graduating from Sterling College in Sterling, Kan.

Betty served as a Navy Wave from July 1944 through October 1945. She went to Naval Training in Bronx, New York, attended radio school at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and was assigned to communications in Seattle. She married Elmer E. Watters, Jr. November 5, 1944, while he was serving in the Navy as a BM 2/C.

Upon discharge from the military she moved to Elmer’s family farm in Rocky Ford, Colo., where they farmed for 20-plus years. They moved to Ventura, Calif. in 1967 where she worked at the Port Hueneme Naval Base until they relocated to Odessa, Wash. in 1972. Betty was employed by the Odessa Grange and later Waterworks.

Betty was predeceased by husband Elmer in 2003 after 59 years of marriage and by brothers Ward, Fagan and Briggs and sisters Jenny Jo Newby and Margaret Oden.

A devoted mother to Tom Watters (Patty) of Odessa and Jeanne Tepper (Bruce) of Grass Valley, Calif. and beloved grandmother to Jamie Murray (Brent) of Columbia Falls, Mont., Kerri Dowers (Scott) of Moses Lake, Loni Koziol (Jason) of Moses Lake, Marisha Tepper of Boerne, Texas and Josh Tepper of Grass Valley, she has 14 great grandchildren.

She will be remembered for her seamstress skills, enjoyed by her children and grandchildren, and making the best fudge, chocolate chip and gum-drop cookies. Her devotion, patience, love and concern for her family will be greatly missed. According to her wishes there will be no formal memorial service. In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made to the Colorado Boys Ranch in La Junta, Colo.