Betty Belcher

Services for Betty Irene Belcher 85, of Temple will be at 2:00pm Saturday at Immanuel Baptist Church in Temple with Dr. Ron Milne officiating. Burial will follow in Bellwood Memorial Park. Mrs. Belcher died, Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at her home. She was born July 7, 1925 to Arthur Washington and Betty Martin Cato in Midland. She grew up in Weatherford and was elected Queen of the Texas House in 1942 while her father was representing the 103rd district (Parker County). She attended Texas State College for Women (now Texas Woman's University) in Denton. She married C. M. "Sandy" Belcher on May 6th, 1945. They lived many years in Boulder, Colorado where they raised a family and where Mrs. Belcher worked for the Mercantile Bank and Trust Company. Betty and Sandy moved to Temple in 1978 to open The Print Shop. She was a member of Immanuel Baptist Church where she and Sandy led a popular Sunday School class for young married couples until his death in 1990. Former members of the class report that Betty and Sandy's teaching and example had a lasting impact on their lives and marriages. She was a volunteer with Sandy for FamilyLife Ministries helping in the administration of the "Weekend to Remember" conferences around the country. Dennis Rainey, founder of FamilyLife, credits the Belchers as an early influence on his marriage. Mrs. Belcher was a leader in Bible Study Fellowship for several decades in Boulder, Waco, and Temple. She founded the first MOPS chapter in Central Texas in 1985. She was also active in the Temple Garden Club, serving as president from 1997 to 1999. She was appointed to the Temple Public Library Board, serving in the mid-nineties In addition to husband Sandy, Mrs. Belcher was preceded in death by a brother, Dr. Pat Cato of Austin. Survivors include brother James Cato of Whitney, daughter Karen Summers and husband Jerry of Temple, and son Clay Belcher and wife Beth of Lawrence, KS.; eight grandchildren: Stacie Feith and husband Jesse of Houston, Aaron Summers of Temple, Timothy Belcher and wife Gwen of Wheaton, IL, Breanna Summers of Denver, CO, Anna Belcher, Lydia Belcher, Haben Belcher, and Fyori Belcher of Lawrence, KS; five great-grandchildren: Kurt Summers, Caden and Levi Feith, Isaac Belcher and his little brother due Oct 24th. Visitation will be held 7-8 p.m. Friday at the Scanio-Harper Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to FamilyLife Ministries (A division of Campus Crusade for Christ). P.O. Box 7111 Little Rock, AR., 72223. www.familylife.com