December 1945

Betty Lou Belcher, the younger daughter of Mr. and Mrs. L.E. Belcher, was born in Patoka, Ill., August 29, 1933, and passed away Thursday morning, Jan. 10, at four thirty o’clock in St. Mary’s Hospital in Centralia, aged 12 years, 4 months and 12 days. She lived her short life in this community attending grade school here.

Betty has made many friends and enjoyed being with older people as well as with children. She enjoyed going to church, Sunday School, Training Union, Vacation Bible School and Sunbeam meetings.

She was always inviting others to go with her. Betty was not privileged to attend school regularly on account of illness. She was in the seventh grade in school, making a grade each year.

She will be missed by her schoolmates and other friends and relatives. She leaves to mourn their loss her parents, Mr. and Mrs. L.E. Belcher; a sister, Wanda Cummins; a nephew, Sonny Boy Cummins; a brother-in-law, Basil Cummins; an aunt, Mrs. U.S. Joliff, all of Patoka; a grandfather, Mr. Leo Wade, Boyleston; another aunt, Mrs. Clara Oldham, Elkhart, Ill.,; two uncles, Chris Wade of Fairfield, and Herschel Wade in the services of our country, and a host of other relatives and friends.

Out on the hillside the flowers grew,
Budded and blossomed in God’s great light.
They were watered and fed by the morning dew
And shed their fragrance by day and night.
But in time the flowers just dropped and died,
And to earth no more did their beauty give
But God had touched them and taken them where
In His garden above they could blossom and live.

Funeral services were held Sunday afternoon, Jan. 13, at 2 o’clock from the Patoka Baptist Church, with Bro. Chas. McHaney officiating. The Sunbeams, of which she was a member, held a short service, with 35 taking part. Burial was in Patoka cemetery. Cox and Martin Funeral Directors were in charge. Following are the flower girls: Virginia Brumfield, Dorothy Jones, Mary Helen Hulsizer, Agnes Mae Nattier, Margie Goff, Margie Wadkins; and the pall bearers were Phillip Mojonnier, Dan Wickersham, Elwin De Lay, Homer Potts, Harry Nattier and Artie Rogier.