Betty Eva LaRue

Born in Marion, North Carolina in 1922, she was raised and educated in the Tar Heel state. After graduating from Statesville High School, she entered training to be a registered nurse in Charlotte. It is there she met George La Rue, a handsome solider in the Army heading overseas during WWII. They stayed in touch via wartime letters. Upon his return in 1946, they were married and remained together until his death in 2001.

The couple moved to Tampa in 1947. They were active members of Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church where she and George were involved in many parish activities. All of their six children attended the parish’s school. While both parents were involved in various school activities, Betty was able to contribute extra time to events, from baking cakes for fund raisers to being a leader in her daughter’s Girl Scout troop.

Before returning to nursing, Betty became the neighborhood’s Mom by offering iced drinks, popcorn and occasional hotdog lunches. With amenities like these, the La Rue backyard became a regular playground for many kids living nearby.

Betty worked in several Tampa area hospitals developing long lasting friendships. She was admired for her kind and caring personality and her supervisors could always count on her assignments being completed during her shift. When not busy with household chores, Betty was an avid sports fan of area college and professional teams. She closely followed the players of FSU, USF, the Tampa Bay Rays, and the Buccaneers. Being from North Carolina enhanced her loyalty as a fan of NASCAR. She would follow the drivers’ advancements in the rankings and cheered her favorites to the checkered flag.

Betty later became a charter member in her daughter’s Red Hat Society chapter. She enjoyed dressing up in her purple and red, reflecting her delight that Rose Mary was the leader of this group. Betty enriched these gatherings of amazing older women who enjoyed experiencing new adventures in culinary cuisine while engaging in great conversation and boastful laughter once a month.

After retirement George and Betty enjoyed traveling across the country. On one trip they retraced the route they originally took while on their honeymoon. They would also spend many summers in their humble vacation home outside of Boone, North Carolina. They integrated well with the local residents and attended many community events.

For the pure joy of relaxing, Betty followed several TV soap operas. At times, we would smile for she knew as much about the complicated familial relationships in these programs as she did in her own family.

She also loved reading the daily newspaper and solving the Word Scramble which she enjoyed right up to her passing. As a young mother, the morning and afternoon papers were the main source of community news and brief smiles from the funnies, along with some advice from Dear Abby. She truly was a grand member of the print generation.

Betty leaves behind three daughters: Rose Mary, Patricia, Linda; three sons: George, John, Tim; ten grandchildren: Patrick, Amy, Jeffrey, Daniel, Heather, Nicole, Michael, Robert, Alyse, Elijah; and nine great grandchildren: Devin, Bailey, Kinsley, Paxton, Samantha, Robert, Adalynn, Andrew, and Mason who all love her and will miss her dearly.