Funeral services for Betty Greathouse, 84, of Portales, will be at 2:00 PM, Mon., July 3, 2017 at the First Baptist Church with Dr. David McFadden officiating. Burial will follow in the Portales Cemetery with Doug Poynor, Lonnie Berry, Bill Strong, Monty Best, Blake Cox, Austin Harless and Hayden Harless serving as pallbearers. The family requests that memorial contributions be made to the New Mexico Baptist Children’s Home, P O Box 629, Portales, NM 88130.
Betty Jo Greathouse was born Nov. 21, 1932 in a small farm house west of Floyd to the home of Elizabeth and Tullos Toliver, and died at her home in Portales on June 29, 2017. Betty attended the Causey High School where she participated in acting, and music, as well as helping on the annual staff, and the school newspaper. She also played softball and volleyball, sang and studied piano and violin. She graduated from high school at Melrose in 1950.
On April 12, 1953, in Floyd, she was married to Jack Greathouse. They had two sons, Ross and Dan. Betty went on to attend Eastern New Mexico University, and graduated with a degree in science and education on Aug. 3, 1973. She worked as an educational aide in the Portales Schools during the 1976-77 school year. In the fall of 1977, she became a fifth grade teacher at James Elementary School. She retired from Valencia Elementary School during the 1993/94 school year.
Betty was a very caring and loving teacher, and became a second mom to many of her students. She loved each of them, regardless of their grades or their behavior. Truly she was a gifted teacher, and her students were blessed to have her in class.
Betty belonged to several sororities and organizations including Beta Tau Chi, Chapter R PEO, Eastern Star, Beta Sigma Phi and Delta Cappa Gamma. She and Jack were faithful members of the First Baptist Church, where they taught the SALT, Single Adults Learning Together) Sunday School class for many years. She was a member of the Trinity Sunday School Class at the time of her death.
Betty is survived by one son, Dan Greathouse of Portales; a niece, Dee Ann Toliver and husband, Bill, and two great-nieces, Reagan Jo Ford and Sabrina Melendez. She also has three adopted daughters, who were her caregivers, Krystal McBride, Dina Cox and Regina Harless, as well as an adopted son, Dr. Michael Shaughnessy, and nine adopted grandchidren that she loved dearly. She is also survived by her “babies,” her faithful dogs, Happy and Sacajawea “Sacky” who will be lost without her. Betty was preceded in death by her parents, a brother and sister-in-law, R. T. and Shirley Toliver, a son, Ross Greathouse who died Mar. 30, 2017 and by her beloved husband, Jack, who died Sept. 2, 2010 after more than 57 years of marriage.
