Betty Jean Harris Orand went home to heaven on Sunday, April 16, 2017.
Her life will be celebrated on Thursday, April 20 at 10:30 at Outreach of Love Church, 3591 E. Highway 199, Springtown, where she served with the Women’s Ministries and was an active member for many years.
Betty Jean was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma on November 25, 1928, to Robert Milton Harris and Wilma E. Ellis Harris. She, with her husband, owned a carpet store in Fort Worth for many years before they retired to Springtown.
She was preceded in death by her husband, James P. Orand, her parents, and brother, Charles Harris.
The family requests honor donations to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, whom she supported for many years.
Betty was well known to many as Miss Betty, Betty Boop, Grandma, and G.G. She lived an interesting life to say the least, having many different types of careers in her life. These included being a switchboard telephone operator where she connected a presidential call to a nearby army base with the news that Pearl Harbor was attacked. She worked as an elevator operator, which was one of favorite jobs ever because she got to meet people and always tell them “Good Morning!”. She was a police lady “back in the day” for the Irving Police Department, pulling extra duty the day President John F. Kennedy was shot, and while they were searching for Oswald. She was also once a dental assistant, she worked in a hospital as a business clerk, and later in life became a business owner of a carpet store with her husband. Betty was a great listener, a great encourager, she gave great advice, and could keep a secret better than most anyone. She was very loved by everyone she knew.
Survivors include her children, Brenda Spradlin and husband, Mike of Reno, Robert Getts of Arlington, and Karen Fuller and husband, Kirk of Springtown; sisters, Roberta Graves and Lynda Melton, both of Springtown; grandchildren, Michael Daniels and wife, Jennifer of Nevada City, California, Jeff Spradlin and wife, Katie, of Fort Worth, Emily Spradlin of Fort Worth, and Tonya Messick; four great- grandchildren, Hunter Daniels, Alex Daniels, and Piper Daniels, all of Nevada City, California, and Brinley Parrish of Fort Worth. She also leaves a multitude of nieces and nephews and numerous more family and friends who loved her.