Betty Ann (Stadalman) Heck passed away on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Mound City, Missouri, at the age of 90. She was born in Bigelow, Missouri, on November 2, 1933 to Roy and Esther (Laukemper) Stadalman.
Betty attended elementary school in Bigelow and proudly skipped seventh grade due to low class sizes before attending high school in Mound City, where she graduated as Valedictorian in 1950. Betty then attended Gard Business School in St. Joseph and worked at Exchange Bank in Mound City.
Betty became acquainted with Wayne Heck of the Bellevue area at The New Dell in Savannah, and they developed a love for dancing, and each other. The two were married on February 13, 1955, and were engaged in farming throughout their married life. Betty took pride in keeping her home clean, raising a large garden, and being a great cook, often using fresh milk and cream from the family dairy for large daily meals from which no one went away hungry or without homemade dessert. She and Wayne enjoyed traveling, hosting Wayne’s army reunions, and getting opportunities to dance, all well into their 80s, and they celebrated 64 years of marriage before his death in 2019. Following his passing, Betty continued to enjoy being active with her grandkids, great-grandkids, and friends, finding joy in baking cookies (that became widely known as ‘Betty Cookies’), visiting, collecting Jewel Tea dishes, and in more recent years, doing jigsaw puzzles.
Along with Wayne, Betty raised and is survived by three children: Bob (Cindy) Heck, Mike (Jennifer) Heck, and Janet (Joel) Luzmoor, all of Mound City. She is also survived by her grandchildren: Brandon (Rachel) Heck, Lee's Summit; Blaire (Jarad) Owens, Maryville; Gabrielle (Shae) DeRosier, Fort Novosel, Alabama; Hayston (Katie) Wilson, Chandler (Morgan) Wilson, and William Heck, Mound City; and great-grandchildren: Ava, Emma, Halle, Bo, Lane, Finley, and Owen.
Betty was the fifth of six children, and her husband, parents, and each of her siblings preceded her in death: Margery Patterson, Rosa Lee New, Mary Frances Wilson, William ‘Bill’ Stadalman, and Richard ‘Dick’ Stadalman.
Services and visitation will be held at Chamberlain Funeral Home in Mound City. Public visitation for friends and family will be Friday, May 3, 2024 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm, and funeral services on Saturday, May 4, at 2:00 pm, with interment to follow at Mount Hope Cemetery near Mound City. Memorials may be directed to Mound City United Methodist Church, Mound City Cemetery, or Mount Hope Cemetery.
