Betty Jo Cole

Betty Jo Cole, 81, passed away at home in Choctaw, Oklahoma, on Thursday, February 1, following a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's/Dementia.

Betty was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on February 13, 1942 (Friday the 13th, which she always considered her lucky number) to Homer Franklin and Wanda Obera (Gamel) Foster.

Betty grew up on an army base near Sidney, Nebraska, and has lived in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. She lived the last 51 years in Choctaw. She retired from Tinker Air Force Base after 28 years of service, with 25 of those years as a supervisor in Depot Supply, leaving with many lifelong friends. Betty enjoyed reading, baking, and spending time with her book club friends. She also enjoyed traveling, especially visiting family and friends, sewing, crocheting, and various arts and crafts projects, and solving crossword puzzles and sudoku.

Betty is preceded in death by her husband, Lyle Leroy Cole; daughters Helen LaRue Brady and Laura Ann Cole; sons Frederick Claude Cole, Michael Raye Castor, and Jimmy Cole; and brother, James Franklin Foster.

Betty, together with Lyle, leaves behind the legacy of a large, blended family to cherish her memory, including sons Rex Rutherford of Green River, Wyoming, Tom Cole of Fort Bridger, Wyoming, Danny Castor of Cashion, Oklahoma, Ronald Cole of Salt Lake City, Utah, Gary Cole of Choctaw, Oklahoma, and daughter Connie Cole of Choctaw, Oklahoma, as well as approximately 50 plus grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Betty is also survived by two sisters, Shirley Medina of Las Vegas, Nevada and Judy Behunin of Douglas, Wyoming.

A celebration of life was conducted at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, February 7 at Hibbs Funeral Home in Choctaw, Oklahoma.

"We're all travelers in this world. From birth till death, we travel between the eternities."