Betty Jo Houston Smoot

Born in Baylor County 2/12/22 to Bryan Henry Houston and Mary Etta Welch Houston. Graduated from high school in Seymour in 1939 and nursing school (Lubbock Methodist Hospital) in 1943. Her first nursing job was in Clovis, NM where she met and later married Henry Francis Smoot on 8/8/43. H. F. as he was called was in the Army Engineers and played the sax in the Army orchestra. They met at a USO dance. After their marriage Betty followed her husband to St. Paul, MN where she worked in a hospital there until he was shipped out overseas to serve in WWII. Then she returned to Texas and continued her nursing career. During the war she was the nursing obstetrical supervisor at Pennsylvania Ave Hospital in Ft. Worth. With the war on doctors were scarce so Betty routinely delivered babies during those years. By the time the war ended Betty had saved enough money for her husband to later purchase a war-surplus Caterpillar bulldozer. Immediately after the war from 1945 to 1949 Betty and H. F. lived on the Smoot family farm. They moved to Crane, TX in 1949 to start an oilfield service company with the original bulldozer from Betty's wartime savings. In 1957 the family moved to Odessa, TX. After her divorce in 1960 and with all three girls in school Betty once again went back to nursing. She worked primarily in private nursing practice and was a pioneer in both ICU and care flight type care. Betty was a long time member of the Crescent Park Baptist Church in Odessa. In 2005 Betty moved to Dallas, TX to be nearer to her daughters and their families. She enjoyed living in independent living at the C. C. Young Retirement Living facility where she made many friends. When she was no longer able to live on her own Betty was lovingly cared for by the staff at C. C. Young. She is survived by her children: Judith Day Short (Bill), Mickey Holcomb, and Nadine Taliaferio (Bill); her grandchildren: Donald J. Day, Jr., Amy Day Radtke Saulnier, Jeremy Taliaferio, and Kelli Taliaferio, Stacy Short Prout; her great grandchildren: Jordan, Charlie, David, Madison, Gabe, Victory, Memphis, Ember, Connor, Lilly, and Colt; and her great great-grandson Jeffrey; sisters Jerry Skinner and Sammie Kay Wolfe and numerous nieces and nephews.

Her memorial service will be held at the Lawther Point East Chapel of C. C. Young, 4829 West Lawther Drive, Dallas, TX 75214 at 2 p m on Sunday October 8, 2017.

In lieu of flowers contributions can be made to the C. C. Young Employee Appreciation Fund.

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Memorial Service

OCT 8. 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM (CDT)

Lawther Point East Chapel-C.C Young
4829 West Lawther Drive
Dallas, TX, 75214

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