Honor Betty Dery: Support Her Final Wishes

Betty Katharine Dery (Patton) passed away from a freak unexpected fall November 18, 2024. She insisted on going when she did and on her own terms. Her daughter Robyn and Grandson Ty were there until the end with her.

Betty hated funerals, so she doesn’t want one. She doesn’t want people morning her or crying. To honor her, be open to listening to others and helping where you can. In lieu of flowers, and if you want to help her in her memory, any donation would help. Any money will go to her cremation, final medical expenses, and hopefully a Kansas City Chiefs urn to sit next to her Chiefs tree. Thanks and Cheer for the Chiefs for her!

Betty Dery (Patton)

July 29, 1040 - November 18, 2024

Betty Dery (Patton) passed away peacefully surrounded by her daughter and grandson after an unexpected incident. She is survived by her daughter Robyn, grandson Ty, and multiple nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.

Betty was born in Louisiana, Missouri and grew up on a huge farm in Paynesville, Missouri. She was the youngest of 4 sisters. She showed steers at the Kansas City Stockshows. She was voted Queen and in the courts of many pageants and festivals. In high school and college she was a majorette and could still twirl a baton at 84. After graduating from Louisiana High School in Louisiana, Missouri, she went to CMSC, now University of Central Missouri, in Warrensburg, Missouri. She was in the Tri-Sigma sorority and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Business and Marketing. She moved to Kansas City Missouri and worked at Rothchild’s department Store in the Finance and marketing offices. She then became the executive assistant at Liberty Mutual Insurance. She even handled Kansas City Chiefs Legendary Quarterback Len Dawson’s insurance. She met and married her husband at Liberty. Once she became pregnant with her daughter, she went back to college and University of Missouri at Kansas City to get her Masters in Education. She taught 2nd grade in the Gladstone School District for 4 years, before moving to Colorado Springs to own a Western Auto Store in Security; after a trip to visit her sister in 1973. Still longing to work with children, she got a job at Junior Academy Children’s Center as their private kindergarten teacher in 1975. She soon became the director of the center. She worked tirelessly to make children’s lives better, including diving back and forth to Denver to be on the Colorado State Board for Childcare Rules and Regulations. She helped implement many rules and regulations that are continued today. She worked at JA for years. Many past students and employees would stop by to see her through the years to say thank you and give her hugs. She worked until she was 80, and only stopped because to the pandemic, or she would have still been there. Throughout the years, she was always lending an ear and advice to anyone, including her daughter’s and grandson’s friends and exes; many of them calling her or considering her their second mom/gram. Betty was a diehard Kansas City Chiefs fan! While living in Kansas City, she had season tickets and sat by the founder of the Hallmark company family; which they exchanged tickets with each year to enable them to sit together instead of on each side of them. She was such a Chiefs fan that she even went to a game when she was 2 weeks overdue with her daughter because not even that would keep her from her Chiefs! She had her 2 days later. Every Chiefs game, the whole house had to wear Chiefs gear to help them win, including changing at halftime if it was going bad to something we had on when they won a previous game! In the ICU, she insisted on watching one last Chiefs game. When they lost, I tried to lie to her and say they won, but she shook her head no and wasn’t going to have that. After all, it was just one loss and they are still on top in the standings. I know she will be cheering them, especially Patrick Mahomes, on the rest of the season.