Betty McBee
Betty Lee (Milholland) McBee died and passed from this earth into the arms of Jesus on April 2, 2022, in Holyoke. Betty was born on Sept. 28, 1932, at her family home. Her parents were William Henry “Bill” Milholland and Blondena Dorsey (Kerns) Milholland. Betty was the third of seven children born to Bill and Blondena. Her siblings were Ila, Don, Norma, Judy, Billy and Allen.
Betty grew up in rural Phillips County and attended Holyoke schools. She was active in marching band while attending Holyoke High School.
Betty married Don Guernsey in 1949, and in the mid ’50s they moved to Denver, where Don was a police officer. Betty and Don had four children: Craig, Ronald, Janet and Jeffrey. Betty worked in retail settings. Betty and Don divorced in 1973.
Betty married Jim McBee in 1980, and their family increased with the addition of Jim’s kids, Sherri, Carol, Scott and Deanna. Jim and Betty made a point of not defining whose kids any of them were; they were all Jim and Betty’s kids. They moved to Paoli in the fall of 1982. Deanna came to live with them shortly afterward.
Betty will be dearly missed by all of the her family: Craig (deceased), Ron and Marsha of Paoli, Janet and Kevin of Thornton, Sherri and Steve of Denver, Carol of Denver, Jeff of Wheatland, Wyoming, Scott and Linda of Coral Springs, Florida, Deanna of Paoli, and Kim Guernsey of Haxtun. This family also includes 17 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren, and countless nieces and nephews.
Betty was baptized as a child, and her faith was always strong. Jim and Betty attended First Baptist Church in Holyoke. Betty was very active in her church and enjoyed volunteering at Melissa Memorial Hospital, where she greeted each person with a smile and an encouraging word.
Betty belonged to sewing /quilting groups in Holyoke and Sterling. In addition to her sewing and quilting projects she was also extremely gifted in making stained glass and often had several needlework projects going. Betty made quilts for her family and often for friends. She made baby quilts for each of the babies in all three generations of grandchildren.
She also designed angels for all of the women in her life from her mom, mother-in-law, sisters, daughters and granddaughters, and each angel was named after them. It was a family tradition that at Christmas, each daughter and grandchild received a handmade gift, and the guys all got tins full of homemade cookies. This was a delight every year.
Betty was preceded in death by her parents; sisters, Ila and Norma; brothers, Don, Bill and Allen; son, Craig; sons-in-law, John and Peter; and grandchildren, Cara, Rachel, Jamie and Joe.
The memorial service was held April 11 at First Baptist Church, with interment at Posegate Cemetery in Paoli.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Betty’s name to First Baptist Church of Holyoke.
Baucke Funeral Home was entrusted with the arrangements.