Betty Lou Lucas
Betty Lou (Dunmyer) Lucas died on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, 2013 in the hour of Divine Mercy at age 87, at Mercy Gilbert Hospital in Gilbert, Ariz.
Born May 16, 1926 at home in Du Quoin, Ill. She was preceded in death by her loving husband Robert Henry Lucas Jr. in 1978; her parents, Jonathon and Catherine (Pepka) Dunmyer, two brothers ,James and William Ottis; her sister Patricia Ann Dean and granddaughter, Mindy Suzanne Sharp Howland.
She is survived by her two daughters, Lynne (Fred) Robison of Gilbert, Ariz. and Rita (David) Sharp of Houston, Tex.; granddaughter, Lisa (Jason) Boswell; grandson, David (Khoa) Sharp II; four great grandchildren, Bryce and Casey Howland, Grace and David Sharp III.
Raised in Du Quoin, she attended Sacred Heart Catholic Church and School until she was 17. The family moved to Torrance, Calif. in 1937 where she graduated from Torrance High School. During WWII she was a Journeyman Machinist at Boeing Aluminum where she met her husband to be - Robert Henry Lucas Jr. and they were married in January 1947. They moved many times, to Florida, Virginia, northern California, Washington State, Wisconsin, Oklahoma and back to Torrance in 1962. She attended St. Lawrence Martyrs Catholic Church for 23 years in Redondo Beach, Calif. and belonged to Catholic Daughters of America. Betty volunteered at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance, Calif. and retired from Sears. She was an amazing cook-she said she "romanced" the food! She had a very funny sense of humor; was very knowledgeable about plants and gardening-loving roses the best! A WWII plane buff, her favorite was the P-38 Lighting. She played piano and composed her own music, was a student of five languages, wrote poetry, was a published writer and an avid reader all her life. In May 1998 moved to Gilbert, Ariz. She had a passion for animals, especially dogs and supported many animal rescue groups: Arizona Humane Society, Friends for Life in Gilbert, along with many others. In the last four years she lived at Emeritus of Gilbert Assisted Living and was loved by her caregivers and she loved them very much. There, she met "Heidi," a 12-year-old rescued kitty, originally from Friends for Life!
In lieu of flowers, she would have loved knowing that Friends for Life would benefit from donations.
May she rest in peace. Memories and condolences may be made by visiting the online obituary guest book at www.obits.azcentral.com. Arrangement entrusted to Queen of Heaven Catholic Mortuary.