Betty Pearl Cooley

Services to honor and remember the life of Betty Cooley will be 2:00 p.m. Friday, September 13, 2019, at RiverCrest Chapel. Family will receive friends Thursday evening from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Bixby Funeral Service. 

Born March 20, 1936, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Betty was the daughter of Charles Elmer and Effie Ellen (Lord) Perry. Betty was the sole surviving child of 15 births but later gained a sister through adoption. This relationship was a beautiful one where Betty viewed and treated her sister more like a daughter.

Learning the value of hard work at a very early age, Betty was depended upon to help her family as they sharecropped. She was one who continued to support her family, in any way possible, through the years – even if this meant holding down multiple jobs at once. She would find work in a nursing home and even on a chicken farm before beginning a career with Broken Arrow and later Tulsa Union schools where she provided facility upkeep and maintenance. She also worked for Braden Winch, held a real estate and life insurance license and lastly worked at Sam’s where she met customers with a smile and a sample of something tasty!

When she wasn’t working, Betty could be found canning, cooking, reading or spending time with her beloved family. There is no doubt that more than anything, Betty enjoyed motherhood and later being a grandmother to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Betty passed away on Sunday, September 8, 2019, in Bixby. She was 83.

She is survived by three children: Wayne Lykins, Walter Lykins, and Kathy King and husband, Marty; five grandchildren: Tommy Holland (Brooke), Sarah Tilly (Tom), Craig Watkins, Justin Lykins and Staci Towery (Brad). She is also survived by 14 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her daughter, Wyvonna Ellis; grandsons: Cristopher Watkins, Nathan Watkins; and a granddaughter, Monica Holland.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Betty Pearl Cooley, please visit our floral store.