Betty Ruth (Gregory) Hanks

Betty R. (Gregory) Hanks, 83, of the Stringtown community of Butler County died Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012 at her residence.
Betty was born Oct. 16, 1929 in Cabool, Mo. She was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and was a homemaker. During the 1950s, Betty worked for Boeing Aircraft in Wichita, Kans. She moved to Poplar Bluff in 1956 and worked alongside her husband building a family business. After her husband's death, Betty went to work for the local Wal-Mart in the fabric department, retiring in 1994. She was Founder and twice President of the Genealogical Society of Butler County; was a member of Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Missouri; taught genealogy in the Continuing Education Department of Three Rivers Community College; authored 5 Butler County cemetery books and Butler County Birth and Death Records; and as a professional researcher completed numerous personal family histories.
Betty was married to Hamilton D. Pickens, who preceded her in death. In 1956, she married William Lloyd Hanks. He preceded her in death in 1982.
Survivors include four children, Theresa McLean (Joe), of Anaheim, California, Patrick Pickens (Dottie), of Fisk, Deborah Pickens, of Pueblo, Colorado, and Glenda Hanks, of Phoenix, Arizona; a stepdaughter, Debra Rymon (Dennis), of Kansas, a son-in-law, Dennis Kurz, of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, and a daughter-in-law, Leslie Pickens, of North Carolina; 27 grandchildren; 32 great-grandchildren; two sisters, Norma Pesnell (Don), of West Point, Utah, and Velma Kelling (Dale), of Satanta, Kansas; and a sister-in-law, Donna Gregory, of Clinton, Utah.
Her parents, Harlan Cecil Gregory and Grace Alberta Adkins Gregory, brother, William Harlan Gregory, two children, Lindahl Harlan Pickens and Nancy Diane Kurz, and a stepson, William Frederick ""Rick"" Hanks, also preceded Betty in death.
Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Cotrell Funeral Chapel in Poplar Bluff. The funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in the funeral chapel with Danny Pierce officiating. Burial will follow at the City Cemetery in Poplar Bluff.
Memorials may be made to UCAN (United Cancer Assistance Network), 1419 Maud St., Poplar Bluff, MO 63901.
Family and friends may share an online condolence or memory at www.cotrellfuneralservice.com.