Betty Lou Quarles Cunningham Wilbur – December 1, 1927 – July 9, 2024

Betty Lou Quarles Cunningham Wilbur passed peacefully from this world Tuesday, July 9, 2024 with her dearly loved caregiver, Linda Morlan by her side at the age of 96. Born December 16, 1927 in Jefferson, Grant County, Oklahoma, Betty was the second of 9 children born to John Robert and Ethel Margaret (Tharp) Quarles.  Chased from Oklahoma to Kansas, and then to Colorado by the Great Depression and Dust Bowl conditions (1929 – 1939), the Quarles Family finally settled near Las Animas, Colorado. They first rented a home in the Melonfield Community for a time, and eventually purchased a home in the Rixey Community. Betty graduated from Bent County High School in the spring of 1945.

On April 27, 1947 Betty married William Elvis Cunningham in Las Animas, Colorado.  The couple settled in the Rixey Community with both working at the Fort Lyon VA Hospital.  At age 49, Elvis passed away suddenly on April 12, 1966, 15 days before their 20^th wedding anniversary. Betty, at age 39, was left to raise 5 children (4 daughters and a son) ages 4 to 17 as a single parent. In November 1967 the family was sealed for Time and All Eternity in the Logan Temple, Logan, Utah.

Five years later, Betty married William Franklin Wilbur on November 24, 1972 in La Junta, Colorado.  After their retirement from Fort Lyon VA Hospital, Betty and Bill served an 18-month mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Berryville, Arkansas.

Betty and Bill served as temple workers in the Denver Colorado Temple, one week a month, from 1994 – 1995.  Bill passed away January 9, 2007.

Betty is survived by her 3 siblings, Ralph (Beverly) Quarles of Roy, Utah; Willie Quarles of Las Animas, Colorado; and Sonja Termini of Vaughn, Montana; three living daughters, Trudy (Chuck) De Vries of Ridgway, Colorado; Ellen (Larry) Brown of Monument, Colorado; and Ronda (Jeff) Sherman of Crowley, Texas; and 12 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.

Her son, William Elvis Cunningham Jr. “Bill” passed away June 27, 2009 and daughter, Tammy Lou Cunningham Garcia passed away May 16, 2011.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Monday, July 15, 2024 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, La Junta Ward, 2305 Raton Avenue, La Junta, Colorado. Visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. until time of the service.  Interment, preceded by a Dedicatory Prayer, will then take place at the Bent County-Las Animas Cemetery.

To leave online condolences, please visit www.horberfuneralchapel.com.