Betty Cochenour

Betty Lucille (Fitzgerald) Cochenour, 84, of Luray, Missouri, unexpectedly passed away on November 9, 2021.

Betty was born in Wyaconda, MO, March 7, 1937 to Cecil and Fawn Fitzgerald. Betty grew up in rural Scotland County with her parents and three brothers, Jim, Dennis, and Allen. Betty attended Etna School and graduated from Gorin High School in 1955. She worked as a secretary at the Scotland County Court House until her marriage to Earl Wayne Cochenour on October 14, 1956. Betty and Earl began their married life together on Earl’s family’s farm north of Luray, MO and raised their four children there. Betty and Earl recently celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary with much love and joy. Betty was a typical farm wife who did whatever needed to be done, from planting gardens to working in the fields, to caring for livestock. Never idle, Betty also worked outside of the home in a variety of jobs, her last job as a rural mail carrier out of the Alexandria, Missouri, post office. She loved carrying mail and was very involved in the Rural Letter Carriers Association serving on the Missouri State Board. She also was an academy trainer for new rural carriers. Betty and Earl enjoyed attending Rural Letter Carrier state and national conventions and made many friends through this association.

Betty kept busy with her hobbies and was always in the middle of a project. She was a talented seamstress, quilter, weaver, and gardener. Anytime a grandchild needed a costume, ‘Grandma on the Farm’ produced professional, made-to-order costumes that were the envy of all the other trick or treaters. Betty’s other hobbies included bee keeping during which time her nose was often swollen by bee stings that never seemed to bother her. She also was an avid geocacher, another hobby that introduced her to new friends and travel. Betty was a loyal friend to her sister-in-law, Janice Cochenour, with whom she spoke daily on the phone. For the past several years, Betty was the sole angel caregiver for her husband Earl, who has significant medical needs.

Betty is survived by her husband, Earl Wayne Cochenour of Luray, MO; son, Gerald Cochenour (Amber) of Revere, MO; son, Kerry Cochenour of Milan, MO; daughter, Sheila (Jim) Smith of Vacaville, CA; son, Andrew (Karrie) Cochenour of Milton, IA; nine grandchildren, Bradley (Jeannie) Cochenour of Keosauqua, IA; Brandon (Ashley) Cochenour of Farmington, IA; Travis (Jackie) Cochenour of Maryville, MO; Kelsey Cochenour of Kahoka, MO; Nick Cochenour of Luray, MO; Ty Smith of Katy, TX; Aly Smith of Vacaville, CA; Lauren Cochenour of Milton, IA; Emma Cochenour of Milton, IA; and seven great-grandchildren: Tiffany, Jackie, Maci, Evelyn, Ethan, Ella, and Penny. Betty also is survived by her brothers Dennis (Susie) Fitzgerald of Honolulu, HI; Allen (Louise) Fitzgerald of Gorin, MO; and sister-in-law, Janice Cochenour of Arbela, MO. In addition to her parents; Cecil and Fawn, Betty was preceded in death by brother, Jim.

A memorial service honoring Betty’s life was conducted at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, November 17, 2021 at the Wilson & Triplett Funeral Home in Kahoka. A visitation was held from 5:00 pm until the time of services at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in memory of Betty were suggested to Camp Leeper or to the charity of the donor’s choice. You are invited to share your memories of Betty and leave a condolence at www.wilsontriplett.com