Betty Jeanne Hurd Weeden

Betty is survived by son Michael Weeden and wife Candy, daughter Lainie Dulaney, grandson Raymond Summerlin, and wife Sarah, grandson Matthew Dulaney, granddaughter Kaitlyn Dulaney Rehkop and husband Ryan, granddaughter Shannon Dulaney, great-grandson Kian Rehkop, and great-granddaughter Mina Rehkop. She was preceded in death by her loving husband Frank G. Weeden, Jr., her parents Fred Hurd and Emma Schmidt Hurd, and her brother Fred Allen Hurd.

Born November 15, 1928, Betty grew up in the Heights area of Houston. While her family did not have much, she often talked about how lucky she was to have loving, devoted parents and a father who “could fix anything.” Long after their deaths, the love and admiration Betty had for her parents shined bright.

Betty attended Reagan Senior High where she participated in the Red Coats drill team prior to graduating in 1946. Reagan is also where Betty met the love of her life, Frank Weeden. The pair were married on April 14, 1951, and remained so until his death in 2014.

After marrying, Betty worked as an Administrative Assistant, putting her new husband through college. She enjoyed working for Lane Texas and Texas Eastern for many years. She also had a brief modeling stint during the 1950s, modeling for the Houston Chronicle, The Inch Magazine, and the department store, Battelstein's in Houston.

During their 63-year marriage, Betty and Frank saw most of North America on their beloved road trips together including traveling the Alaskan Highway pulling their camper trailer. To the great amusement of their grandchildren, the pair kept paper maps of Cracker Barrel and Luby’s locations in their car so they knew exactly where to stop no matter where they were.

Active in the church, Betty and Frank joined The Voyagers' Sunday school class early in their marriage and remained friends with the group throughout their lives. The couple moved to Spring Branch in the late 1950s, where Betty still lived at the time of her death, and began attending Terrace United Methodist Church in the early 1960s.

Around this time Betty and Frank decided to adopt two children. They added Michael Scott Weeden to their family in 1959 and Susan Elaine (Lainie) Weeden Dulaney in 1962.

Betty loved animals, and the Weeden family was blessed by the presence of Max the dachshund during both Michael’s and Lainie’s childhoods. Like Betty and Frank, Max loved road trips and often traveled with the family to Huntsville. He also could occasionally be spotted on the front of a motorcycle, wearing his tennis-ball helmet.

Following Max’s death, Betty adopted several neighborhood animals including the precocious cat Zuzu, who walked with a limp when looking for attention but magically ran without one when chasing a squirrel or bird. Unbeknownst to Frank, another cat, Buddy, often was allowed inside the house and would sometimes sit on the edge of the bathtub while Betty relaxed.

Betty was an avid gardener and always had beautiful flower beds in her backyard. Sewing and embroidery were a couple of her other favorite hobbies. Her house was decorated with several pieces of homemade embroidery, and her growing grandchildren were kept in clothes by her sewing expertise, often delivered during Christmas in a “Foley’s box.”

She had a sharp wit and a great sense of humor. While she would never admit it, she loved a somewhat naughty joke, hiding her chuckles behind an “Oh, stop it” exclamation.

Betty was a kind, charitable, funny, loving person who deserved all the 94 years she was given. She will be deeply missed but never forgotten.

Family and friends gathered to share memories during a visitation at Terrace United Methodist Church at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, December 29 followed by a service officiated by Pastor Nancy Creason in the sanctuary. Following a brief reception in the Fellowship Hall, graveside services and interment concluded at Woodlawn Garden of Memories, also in Houston.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate memorial contributions made in Betty’s memory to either the Terrace United Methodist Church or the American Humane.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.waltripfuneraldirectors.com for the Weeden family.