On the afternoon of November 19, 2023, Betty Louise Toot passed away at the age of 98, in Amarillo, TX. Born on July 16, 1925, in Belpre, KS, Betty was the ninth child of Maurice and Mabel Montgomery. With 11 sisters and three brothers, there was always someone to play with and Betty remained close to her siblings throughout their lives. She graduated from Belpre High School and sometime after met Calvin L Toot at a Hug and Stomp Dance held at the Community Center. Calvin enlisted and Betty followed him to San Francisco where they married on August 2, 1945. A young war bride, Betty worked as both a waitress and a telephone operator while Calvin was a gunner on the USS Fair in the Pacific Fleet. Deployment also took them to Seattle, WA until Calvin’s release from the Navy when they returned to Larned, KS to work the family farm. The Toots also resided in Hill City, KS and then Liberal, KS where Betty lived for more than 56 years. She worked in the cafeteria at West Junior High which allowed her to be home when her children were not in school. After they were grown, she went to work at Southwest Medical Center as a cook and was promoted to Supervisor. She worked early mornings and delighted in the days when her visiting grandchildren would stop by to eat breakfast or lunch at the hospital cafeteria with her. She was then free to spend the afternoon and evenings with her family, cooking for them, taking an evening walk, and hearing about their lives. After retirement, Betty enjoyed traveling to visit her family, her daily walks, and volunteering at the hospital gift shop. A lifelong gardener, Betty cared for her flower beds and continued to mow the lawn herself until her move to Amarillo, TX.
Betty is preceded in death by her husband, Calvin L Toot. They had been married for 55 years. She is survived by her daughters Linda (Bill) Morlan of Overland Park, KS; Judy (Mike) Connelly of Amarillo, TX; David Toot of Granbury, TX; and Colin (Cindy) Toot of Kingsland, TX and her sister Marietta Snodgrass of Pinole, CA. Betty was proud of her 16 grandchildren, 24 great grandchildren and six great-great grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in her honor to further Macular Degeneration Research through the Brightfocus Foundation (brightfocus.org/macular). Betty will be laid to rest at a graveside service in Belpre Cemetery (KS) on Saturday, November 25, 2023, at 1 p.m. Honorary pallbearers are her grandsons: Brian Mitchell, Joshua Connelly, Shawn Toot, Jeremy Berry, Toby Lohman Fuller, Daniel Connelly, Cameron Toot, Zachary Toot, and Adam Brown. A woman of strength, love, humor and enduring grace, Betty’s memory will forever live on in the hearts of those who knew her. We find solace knowing that she is now in the comforting embrace of Jesus.
Beckwith Mortuary, Inc., Larned, Kansas is in charge of arrangements.