- Date Of Birth: August 7, 1932
- Date Of Death: January 31, 2016
- State: Idaho
Betty Jean Houston, 83, a Boise native, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her family on Sunday, January 31, 2016.
Born on August 7, 1932, at Saint Alphonsus Hospital, the only child of Samuel and Carolyn Freeman, Betty attended Central Grade School, North Junior High School, and Boise High School. She also attended the Saint Vincent School of Nursing at the University of Portland.
In 1952, she returned to Boise to marry her high school sweetheart William O. Houston, Jr. During the early years of their 63-year marriage, she accompanied Bill as he completed his advanced education in Nebraska and Pennsylvania and served in the U.S. Air Force. In 1961 they returned to Boise for good, where Bill established his private practice and Betty established their household.
In 1963, Betty and Bill adopted infant twin girls they named Kelly and Shelly. Betty was an incredibly devoted mother, engaged in nearly all aspects of her daughters’ school and extra-curricular activities.
Throughout the years, Betty was also engaged in the greater community. As a teen, she helped organize the first “candy stripers” at Saint Alphonsus Hospital in 1945. She was president of the Dental Wives Club at Creighton University, a Red Cross “Gray Lady” at Mountain Home Air Force Base, and president of the Wives Club at Geisinger Hospital. More recently she was active with the Junior League of Boise, the Saint Alphonsus Auxiliary, the Morrison Center Auxiliary, Neighborhood Watch, the Idanha Questers, the Idaho Historical Museum, the Saint Alphonsus Festival of Trees, and occasional political campaigns.
Once an avid skier and tennis player, Betty enjoyed Idaho’s scenic beauty.
Betty is survived by her husband, William, her daughters Kelly (Daryl) Staskey and Shelly Houston, as well as many extended relatives. She was also blessed to have her Ya-Ya’s, a close circle of women who have been friends since their early school days.
Special thanks go out to all those at Saint Alphonsus Hospital and its Hospice Program who offered Betty and her family care and compassion during her valiant eight-month battle with cancer and related complications.
