Betty Ann Whiteley Purdun was born June 23, 1939, to Audra B. and Golda E. (Spurgeon) Whiteley at Blythedale, Missouri, while her folks ran the grocery store there. Her sister, Nina (Whiteley) Ury graduated from school the same year. Betty and Nina were born eighteen years apart.
Betty accepted Christ as her personal savior and was baptized, September 18, 1966.
When she was five years old, her folks bought the Rockhouse Lake Farm and moved there. She went all twelve years to Ridgeway School graduating in the class of 1957.
Betty and Maurice Purdun started going together January 1958. It wasn’t long until they decided they wanted to get married. Maurice ask Betty what date? She (replied) I always wanted to be a June bride, so June 1, 1958 they were united in marriage at the Mt. Pleasant Church north of Blythedale by the Reverend William D. Crim. Friends and Family gave them a huge shivaree. Then on Saturday night about 3:00 in the morning a bunch of young kids showed up.
They moved around living different places. Then, in 1962 they moved to a farm they had purchased in the Pleasant Valley Community neighborhood located five miles northeast of Ridgeway. In 1972 they bought another 80 acres to go with the first farm. They lived on the first farm 35 years.
Maurice’s health began to fail, so in 1997 they sold out and moved to a home they had purchased in Ridgeway. Although they were never blessed with any children of their own they had plenty of nephews, nieces, great nephews and nieces, and even great-great, which they have enjoyed very much, along with the many pets they have enjoyed through the years as part of their family. One cat Betty’s favorite was Susie Marie.
For their 45th anniversary the nieces and nephews had a celebration for them at the Ridgeway Park. What a big surprise to them, when they looked up and saw the Reverend William Crim and his wife drive up in their motorhome from Kansas City to help them celebrate 45 years to the day.
In 1988 they went on a bus tour to Nashville, Tennessee and 1990 they went on a tour to Las Vegas, Nevada. For several years they would go to the Old Threshers Reunion at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. They always called it their vacation. They also belonged to two camper clubs at one time, the Channel Hoppers and the Sod Busters.
Maurice passed away February 15, 2015 at the Bethany Care Center. June 22, 2020 Betty sold the home in Ridgeway and moved to the Ridgeway Rental Housing.
As Betty’s health began to decline and she no longer felt comfortable living alone, she moved to Crestview Home in Bethany, Missouri on Feb 24, 2022 and remained there until her death on December 4, 2023.
Visitation will be held Friday, December 8, 2023 from 10 to 11 a.m. with the funeral service to begin at 11 a.m. at Bethany Memorial Chapel, 1000 North 25th St., Bethany, Missouri.
