Betty June Payne Henderson

Born on June 24th, 1925 in Clay City, Illinois she was the daughter of Benjamin Harrison Payne and Mary Etta Provance Payne.

On December 24th, 1948 at the Fifth Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Illinois she married the love of her life Floyd E. Henderson. He preceded her in death in August of 2005. This year on Christmas Eve the couple will celebrate their “special” 65th wedding anniversary in heaven “together again”.

Betty’s family include Vickie Lee Matlack (Bill) of Springfield; Cynthia Lynn Henderson of Springfield; Judith Lynn Morgan (Perry) of Gilbert, AZ; Pamela Lynn Minder (Mick) of Edinburg, IL; Lory Lynn Cook (Dean) of Cerro Gordo, IL; Lisa Lynn Henderson (Tim Rafferty) of Mechanicsburg, IL; and Linda Lopez (Gene) of Moline, IL; grandchildren Kristina, Natalie, Meagan, Jamie, Taylor, Nicole, James, Meredith, Audrey, Kori, Andrea; and great grandchildren Matt, Evan, Ella, Ayden, Sean, Mason, Riley, Kennedy, Noah, Israel, Reese, June, Madison, Lennox, Liam, and Elliette.

Preceding her in death were parents Ben and Mary Payne; siblings Warren Payne, Stella Winkler, Mary Cox, and Mayme Payne; husband Floyd; daughter Cynthia Lynn Henderson; great granddaughter Ella Morgan; and son-in-law William (Bill) Matlack.

Betty graduated from Clay City High School. With her dear sister Stella, Betty moved to the Springfield area in 1943 and joined the Army Cadet Nursing Corps. She attended Memorial Hospital School of Nursing graduating in 1946. That year the nursing “class of ‘46” moved into the newly renovated facility in its current location. Betty loved her nursing career at Memorial working from 1946 until 1964. From 1964 until her return to Memorial in 1979 Betty held the position of Director of Nursing at several area Nursing Homes. In 1979 Betty returned to Memorial working in the Department of Psychiatry until her retirement in 1990. She was a member of Woodside Methodist Church and held memberships in the American Business Women’s Association and the Disabled American Veterans.

Betty enjoyed spending time with her family, traveling the country with Floyd in their RV, visiting family from the Carolinas to Arizona and all points between, family gatherings at their cottage on Lake Petersburg and playing (aka cheating) at Rummikub or Scrabble with her grandchildren.

Betty was passionate about nursing and giving of herself to others. She influenced daughters Lory and Lisa; nieces Connie and Cheryl (Wink); granddaughter Jamie; and many others to choose nursing as a profession. Betty was a role model and mentor to generations of nurses. Betty opened her heart and even her home to shelter many over the years. Her legacy was finding good in all people.

Visitation: Family will receive friends from 5-7 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2013 at Boardman-Smith Funeral Chapel 800 S. Grand Ave. West, Springfield, IL.

Memorial Ceremony: 1 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013 at Boardman-Smith Funeral Chapel with burial immediately following at Camp Butler National Cemetery.

Memorials can be made to the Nursing Excellence Fund though the Memorial Health System Foundation.