Betty J. Ledford

Betty Jean Followwill Ledford, of Shelby Township, Michigan, formerly of Buffalo, Iowa, 91, passed away on May 13, 2022 at WellBridge of Romeo, in Romeo, Michigan. 

The visitation for Betty will be held on Sunday, May 22, 2022 from 3-5 pm at Halligan-McCabe-DeVries Funeral Home, Davenport.  Funeral Services will also be held at the funeral home Monday, May 23, 2022 at 11:00 am. The funeral will be livestreamed and may be viewed by visiting www.hmdfuneralhome.com. Burial will follow at Rose Hill Cemetery, Buffalo.  Donations may be made to Feeding America.

Betty was born on July 8, 1930 in Worthington, Missouri, the daughter of Nova and Oma (May) Followwill.  She married Loren “Berk” Ledford on June 8, 1951 in Kirksville, Missouri.  They enjoyed 46 years of marriage before Berk’s death in 1998.

Betty graduated from Unionville High School in Unionville, Missouri and attended Northeast Missouri Teachers College in Kirksville, Missouri.  She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from Marycrest College, Davenport, Iowa and her Master of Science degree in Education from Western Illinois University, Macomb, Illinois.

Her first teaching job was at the Ledford School, a one-room school where Betty taught first through eighth grade students.  After moving to Iowa, she taught at several schools in the Davenport Community School District.  For over 39 years, she taught at her beloved Buffalo Elementary School.  In 1991, Betty retired after 43 years of teaching generations of families.

Shortly after retiring from teaching, Betty embarked on a new career in real estate.  She worked for Ruhl & Ruhl Realty as well as Grampp Realty.  Betty enjoyed a successful career as a realtor for 19 years.

In 2015, Betty relocated to Shelby Township, Michigan where she loved her new home at the Villas of Shelby.  She made many special friends there and participated in several activities where she continued to enhance her skills as a budding artist.

Betty is survived by her daughters, Sherry Ledford Wilson, Davenport, and Lori (Mark) Weiman, Macomb, Michigan.  Her grandchildren are Adrienne (Matthew) Carr, Andrew Wilson, Blake and Blaire Weiman, and great grandsons Grayson and Rylan Carr.  She is survived by many loving nieces and nephews, cousins, and dear friends.

In addition to her husband and parents, she was predeceased by her brothers, Marvin and Jerry Followwill, in-laws: Rollie and Verda Ledford, Lois (Ledford) and Orville Sparks, Murl and Lucille Ledford, and Orval and Lorene Ledford, as well as a special niece (Jean Ann Galluzzo) and nephew and niece (Jim and Linda Sparks), in addition to lifelong neighbors and friends, Lila and Frank Deierling.

Betty enjoyed living life to the fullest and had a wide range of interests and a large circle of friends.  She had a great sense of humor and was the eternal optimist.  She was devoted to her career, community and most importantly, her family.  She will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing and loving her.