Betty Graham

Betty Jo Graham passed away peacefully early in the morning on Sunday, August 25. Betty was preceded in death by her mother and father, Arthur and Mildred Graham, and her brother, William Graham. She leaves behind her loving family; her sister Patricia Ann Graham, her son and daughter in law Kirk and Liza Yarbrough, and her daughter Cheri Augustine. She also leaves five granddaughters, Ashley Yarbrough, Kate Yarbrough, Kendra Yarbrough, Allison Yarbrough, and Jessica Augustine. Finally, she leaves her beloved and loyal dog, Toby. Betty was born in La Feria, Texas, on February 15, 1940. She grew up in La Feria and graduated as salutatorian of her high school senior class. She began college in San Antonio at Trinity University and continued at the University of Texas in Austin. She graduated college and began teaching school in the Austin area, and married Kenneth Yarbrough. Betty and Ken moved to Corpus Christi and welcomed a son, Kirk, in 1968 and a daughter Cheri, in 1970. Betty was a housewife and mother during the 1970s and early 1980s, and during this time she earned her Master's degree in psychology from Corpus Christi State University. Betty began working as a case worker at Nueces County MHMR where she worked to advocate for and organize health services for those with mental illnesses and those who are mentally challenged. She worked for MHMR in various positions until 2014. One of Betty's favorite things in life was spending time with her family. Whether we were hanging out at home playing games, out shopping and eating, going to the beach, or off on vacation she enjoyed these times with her family. She loved the holidays, mainly Thanksgiving and Christmas, because the whole family got together to celebrate. Another of Betty's favorite things in life were her pets. From her dog, Chip, she had when she was young to her faithful Toby; she had many dogs and cats in between. At one point she even brought home some rats from an Experimental Psychology class because she knew that otherwise they would be fed to the snakes. She also enjoyed relaxing in her reclining chair, and more often then not, there would be one or two cats relaxing with her. As she relaxed in her recliner, Betty loved to watch TV. She had her favorite shows throughout the years, like ER, The Practice, Grey's Anatomy, NCIS, and Criminal Minds. She also enjoyed cooking shows and never missed the nightly news. One of her favorite movies was Good Will Hunting, and she thought though Matt Damon is real cute.Betty was many things. A loving daughter and sister, wife, mother, and grandmother. A teacher, a friend and confidant. She was a cook, a homework helper, a babysitter when the grandkids were young. She made things, she fixed things, and was often the voice of reason. She was our rock. She was our Home. It's going to take some getting used to to get along without her, but it helps to know that from somewhere she is still looking out for us. Visitation with the family will be from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 P.M. Friday, August 30, 2019 followed by a Memorial Service at 2:00 P.M. the Chapel of Sawyer-George Funeral Home. .