Betty Ann Thorpe passed away peacefully in her home in Universal City, Texas on July 7, 2020. She was born on April 22, 1932 to parents Madge Sullivan and Richard Botkin in Meade, KS. Betty graduated from East High School in Wichita, KS. She met and later married her high school sweetheart, Marion “Gene” Thorpe, despite the fact that he attended rival North High School. They were married on December 29, 1951.
Betty Ann began her career as a Dental Assistant right out of high school. She took a not so brief hiatus to raise a family of two boys and two girls with Gene as they were stationed at various Army posts in Hawaii, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas. She returned to work when the family was stationed at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio, and later became active in the Texas Dental Assistants Association where she held multiple offices on the Board of Directors over the years. Betty Ann was a lifelong member of Beta Sigma Phi, most recently the Delta Omega Master Chapter. While stationed at Ft. Sam Houston, Betty was active in the Officers’ Wives Club and was an avid golfer. She supported her children as a leader for both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and attended as many of her kids’ sporting events as possible. When Gene retired from the military in 1974, she continued working as a Dental Assistant in Osceola, IA and Ponca City, OK.
Betty Ann was a very creative person who enjoyed doing arts and crafts of all kinds including sewing, decorative painting, card making and scrapbooking. Perhaps Betty Ann’s most passionate hobby was shopping, either domestically or during her many international trips with Gene. Finding special gifts for her family and friends was always at the top of her list. She and Gene were able to visit most of the places on their bucket list before his passing in April, 2018 after over 66 years of marriage. She lost her son Thomas in November, 2018 and her son Richard in June, 2020. She is survived by her daughters Kellee and Susan, son-in-law Jay McLaughlin, in-laws Charles Thorpe, Margaret Devins, Sandy and Bob Manning, nephew Chuck and nieces Angela and Emily and grandchildren Brianna, Sarah, Chrissie, Nick, Joe and Ben.
Betty Ann will always be remembered as a loving, witty, special person who loved her half regular, half diet Pepsi. We love and miss you!
Visitation will be Sunday, July 19, 2020 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Funeral Services will be Monday, July 20, 2020 at 9:30 a.m. at Colonial Funeral Home. Interment will follow at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. The services will be live streamed on the Colonial Funeral Home Facebook Page.
Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, Wounded Warrior Project or the charity of your choice.
