Betty Jane (Myers) Harris, 96, St. Joseph, Missouri, passed away Wednesday, March 12, 2025.
She was born March 12, 1929 to William Marvin and Eva Irene (Allison) Myers of St. Joseph.
Betty attended Hyde grade school and graduated from Benton High School. She was recipient of the Jr. Art Medal, attendant to the football queen three years, inducted into the National Honor Society in her Junior year, a member of the Polyhymnia Literary Society and Benton's candidate for St. Joe Relays in her Senior year. She helped plan and decorate for her class reunions every five years and kept in touch with many classmates years after graduation.
Betty married Jerry Ronald Acord in 1949 and they had five children. Always a homemaker, she also worked at home as a colorist and negative retoucher for Bray and Kordel Photography Studios. She and Jerry were married twenty-five years and after they parted, she went on to marry Garvin Preston “Gary” Filbert, head basketball coach of Missouri Weston State College. She was active in the Faculty Wives and served as president one year. She worked as a buyer-clerk for Hirsch's Department store. They were married nine years.
In 1984, Betty's daughter convinced her to move to San Diego, California. She loved everything about it and took her a week to call it home. She worked as a buyer-clerk for The Scott's of La Jolla and then manager of the Patrician senior apartments in upper La Jolla. She belonged to a club sponsored by the La Jolla Presbyterian church for senior singles called the Dolphins. They had a membership of 300 from the San Diego area and she became activity director. Dancing was her passion and when an Argentine dance group came to San Diego to perform, she was able through her dance class to meet the group and get a three-minute dance. She made many friends with many stories, two of which she kept in contact with to the end.
Betty flew back to St. Joe and to Texas to visit children and friends many times. On her 60th Birthday her children sent her to Cancun.
In the fall of 1989, she met Warren Harris and discovered they were both from St Joe. They knew many of the same people and places. They married in 1991 and honeymooned in Cabo San Lucas. They bought a Yorkie and then a condo in Oceanside, California. They shared a love of good music, walks on the beach, fine food and spirits. Betty was a member of two writing groups, and a drama group. Warren had retired but went back to work only to have a quadruple bypass. Being retired and rising California prices motivated them to move to Independence, Missouri, where she discovered she had operate-able colon cancer. In 2002, they went on a cruise and revisited Cabo before they moved to St. Joe. In 2009, Betty lost her daughter Jody to cancer and Jody's passions became hers -- The Friends of The Animal Shelter and Loess Bluffs.
Betty was preceded in death by her parents and husband, her sister, Ruth Dandliker; brother, William Myers; and daughter, Jody Leigh Acord; two sons-in-law, Brad Osborn and Pat Sheehan.
Survivors are daughters, Janie Osborn of Kansas City, Missouri, Jerri Walters of La Jolla, California, Julie Sheehan of Frisco, Texas; son, Edward Curtis Acord (Sandy) of St. Joe; 7 granddaughters; 2 grandsons; 3 step-granddaughters; 8 great-granddaughters and 12 great-grandsons; 4 nieces; 4 nephews; and Warren's two daughters and families; and sister, Shirley Simpson, St. Joe.
Natural Farewell under the direction of Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory. Inurnment Memorial Park Mausoleum.
