Elizabeth (Betty) Frances Bartlett, 90, of Porterville, California passed away on December 31, 2017. She was born September 28, 1927, in Red Oak, Iowa, to Lorin and Frances (Erickson) Cottrell. Her family moved to Grant City, Missouri when she was still a young girl during the Great Depression. Betty was the second of 7 children and grew up working on the family farm. She attended elementary and high school in Grant City, Missouri. She moved to Mount Pleasant, Iowa and attended Iowa Wesleyan College. She was the first of her family to attend college. This is where she met Raymond Bartlett and they were married on June 6, 1948. They lived and worked in Mount Pleasant, Elizabeth for the Rural Electric Authority. They moved to Sacramento, California in 1954 and then south down the San Joaquin Valley to Porterville in 1956. She was active in the community as member of the First United Methodist Church for over 60 years, Vandalia PTA, Camp Fire Girls Leader, and Job's Daughters. She attended Porterville Junior College while her children were in school and was a substitute teacher in multiple school districts throughout Tulare County. She ended her career as resource clerk for Porterville United School District at Vandalia Elementary. Betty spent untold hours with her 8 grandchildren, including helping at their schools, caring for them when sick and following their many activities. She was their biggest fan. She is survived by her brother Jack (Jean) Cottrell of Grant City, Missouri; sisters Margaret Hardy of St. Joseph, Missouri; Helen Laval of Raytown, Missouri; Joyce Wolfe of New Albany, Ohio; daughters Jean (Doug) Callahan of Bartlett, Tennessee; Barbara (Bill) Means of Porterville; sons Stephen (Cynthia) Bartlett of PMeans.orterville; James (Valerie) Bartlett of Sindelfigen, Germany, grandchildren Joshua Means of Oceano; Ryan (Cortney) Means of Grover Beach; Stephanie (Kenneth) Helbling of Holly Springs, North Carolina; Natalie (Ben) Myers of Kapolie, Hawaii; Lorin, Reid and Erik Bartlett of San Francisco; Taylor Means of Oceano; and great grandchildren Elise, Cade, and Declan Helbling; and Duke Means.
Betty was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Raymond; brothers William and Richard Cottrell. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be sent to: Valley Adult Day Services, 227 E. Oak Ave., Porterville, Ca. Visitation will be held at Myers Funeral Chapel on Thursday, January 18, 2018 from 3-7 PM. A celebration of life will be held at First United Methodist Church on Saturday, January, 20th at 10:30 AM. Private family interment.
The Recorder, Jan 13-14, 2018, page 5A