Betty J. Wesley

Betty Jean Wesley 

Born March 19, 1947

Passed May 12th, 2024

 Betty was an amazing woman who loved her friends, family and her husband Vannah Ray Wesley very much.  Ray passed away in 1997, also on Mother’s Day weekend, leaving her a widow, but she was never alone. She has always been surrounded by her loved ones and friends. She was the mother of Karen, Terry, Heidi, Diana and Kevin. She was the mother-in-law of Ricky and the Grandma and Nana to Jimmy, Emmie, Andre and Eric. She was preceded in death by both of her parents and all but one of her siblings. She had countless relatives and cousins and many others called her Mom or Aunt Betty, whether they were related to her or not.

 Betty's early years were rough, but she persevered and eventually found her joy. She tried hard to see the bright side of everything and she never did meet a stranger. She was always a talker and always had a story to tell even if she just randomly bumped into you. It's why she was so drawn to the storytelling style of country music. Anyone who knew her would be told time and again about her love of country music, the concerts she attended and the adventures she had meeting all of her favorite artists. If you asked her about her favorite memory, she might jokingly skip over weddings and births and even seeing the Beatles in concert and jump right to the time she found herself chatting and taking photos with Lorreta Lynn on her tour bus. 

 Betty also loved going on weekend drives with Ray, having girls nights with Kate and Pat, and she loved to play card games. She cherished the time she could spend with her family near and far. She loved being in the country and viewing the fall leaves. She loved taking photos, collecting figurines, touring old cemeteries and proudly celebrating her small traces of Native American heritage. If she wasn't doing any of that, she was spending time with her grandchildren whom she loved fiercely.

 Betty was a lady of faith even when attending Sunday services was no longer an option. She spent time being ministered via home visits by Rev. Jim Hill of St. Peter & St. Paul United Church of Christ, which she really enjoyed and looked forward to each time.

 In the end, Betty had survived most everything that came her way. As a child she beat tuberculosis, a disease which nearly killed her before she was 10. She beat a 30 year addiction to smoking. She's battled a series of severe health issues including COPD, Congestive Heart Failure and Heart Surgery, Diverticulitis and Colitis. In 2020, when the world was spinning from Covid, she quietly faced her first diagnosis and series of radiation treatments for Lung Cancer. Ringing that bell leaving from the last appointment was a celebration that lasted until 2023, when it returned and she began a new, longer and more intense round of treatments. She was in and out of the hospital so often it became a large part of who she was over the last few decades.

 As much as we selfishly wanted her to be here till the end, she has more than earned her rest. She hoped she would see her passed loved ones again someday and finally rest in peace. We sincerely hope her dreams have now come true and she is pain free so she can really spend time with them catching up. She has so many stories to tell them.

Visitation Friday May 17th from 10am - 11:30am. Followed by an 11:30 am Funeral Service. Both Visitation and Funeral Service will take place at the St. Peter & St. Paul United Church of Christ (3001 Queen City Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45238).

In lieu of flowers the family is requesting donations be made to the American Lung Association Click here to donate or the American Heart Association Click here to donate.