Betty Ann Peck

Born in Paris Arkansas, Betty was the youngest daughter of L.L.(Shang) and Vera Horne. Because 1935 was middle of the great depression this family of four moved frequently looking for work, in 1940 the Hornes moved to the small farming community of Willow in western Oklahoma, Mr. Horne had a brother there that helped him find a farm to buy. Betty and her sister Wilma Jean grew up on the farm and collaborated with their parents working the farm, in the Summer they chopped cotton and in the Fall, they picked the cotton, everyone worked to make the farm succeed.

Betty attended a country school called Ocina, she was active in school participating in basketball, softball, choir, and student council and in her Senior year of 1952 she was the basketball homecoming Queen. After graduation she attended Southwestern Oklahoma State in Weatherford to pursue a degree in home economics, which changed in 1953 when she married her high school classmate Elbert Patton and move to Stillwater Oklahoma where they both attended Oklahoma A&M.

In June of 1954, Betty started her lifelong job of being Mom by giving birth to her first child Mark, followed by Charles (Chuck) in July 1957, and then David in June of 1962 and in January of 1965 Betty gave birth to Donna.

In 1966 Betty transitioned to a single Mother, without missing a beat she started back to school and graduated from The University of Oklahoma with a teaching degree. In the fall of 1967, she started her lengthy career in education, starting out at Crooked Oak schools and then moving to Oklahoma City public schools in the early 1970’s. Continuing her education Betty graduated in 1976 from the University of Oklahoma with a master’s degree in education. In 1978 she started teaching in Norman were she and her kids lived and in 1979 Betty married Robert Peck and moved to Shawnee Oklahoma where she became a school counselor. This new position gave her the opportunity to work on her lifelong passion of helping all the students she served, she work on everything from helping students get accepted to college or to find a vocation, she also help those students who needed immediate help with home life or finding work and making sure they had food and clothes and shoes so they could come to school and be ready to learn. Her goal was to help each student be prepared for life after school.

After her family and teaching, she loved OU athletics and the arts, she never missed an OU game and made yearly trips to art exhibits and festivals across the Southwest. Betty was a lifelong amateur painter but never quite lived up to her biggest critic (herself), but she never stopped painting and today family proudly display her paintings. When retirement finally came, it gave her more time to work on her favorite charity projects, playing bridge, gardening, painting, travel and being with family.

Betty was longtime member of First Christian Church in Shawnee where she did her best to serve the Lord.

Preceded in death by: parents L.L. Horne and Vera Horne, husband-Robert Peck, sister- Wilma Gene (Horne) Freeman, and granddaughter – Rachel Renee Warren Patton.

Immediate survivors are Mark (Lynn) Patton, Charles (Ronalda) Patton, David (Karla) Patton, Donna (Kevin) Cline, Grand children: Leigh Patton, Max Patton, Stephen Patton, Taylor Whitaker, Grant Patton, Caroline Patton, Mike Comer, Lance Cline, Davis Cline, nephew Tracy (Kay) Freeman and six great-grandchildren

Memorial Donations may be made to the Oklahoma Parkinsons Alliance.