Bettye Baggett Spalding ~ Obituary

Bettye Spalding

Bettye Spalding, age 84, beloved mother, wife and friend, went to be with our Lord our Savior on Oct. 19, 2007.

She was born in Paris, Tenn., on Feb 3, 1924.

She is survived by her loving husband Joseph Spalding; two brothers, Terry Baggett of Paris and Gary Baggett of Kinnett, Mo.; three daughters, Debbie Barth of Myrtle Beach, S.C., Cathy Spalding of Orlando, Fla., and Lisa Skopal of San Antonio, Texas; seven grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Although she never felt like she was an original women’s libber, she took on non-traditional jobs such as working as a radio DJ, working for 20th Century Fox and then later joining the Air Force as a WAF in 1949, becoming a weather observer, and tested and modeled the first Air Force women’s uniforms.

There she met and married Joseph Spalding in 1951, got out of the military so she could follow her husband and raise their three daughters. After following her husband in the military she began her career again working for the Coast Guard in Cincinnati. In her spare time she painted, sewed and volunteered.

Visitation was at noon on Monday, Oct. 22, at Colonial Funeral Home in Universal City, Texas, with a rosary at 12:45, followed by interment at Fort Sam Houston Cemetary at 2:15 pm.

In lieu of flowers please make your donations to the Air Force Enlisted Widows Foundation in Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

Reprinted from THE PARIS POST-INTELLIGENCER
Paris, Tennessee
October 25, 2007 Edition ~ Used by Permission