Betty Mckibben

It is with great sorrow that we announce the death of Betty Jo Haney Cruse McKibben, age 92, of Memphis, TN.  Betty Jo was born February 27, 1928 in Big Cabin, Oklahoma of Glen J. Haney and Martha Lovett.  She went home to The Lord March 27, 2020.   The youngest of three sisters, she is preceded in death by her dear mother, Martha Lovett Haney, her wonderful step-mother Hattie Haney, her beloved father, Glen J. Haney, her eldest sister Imogene Stanberry, her middle sister Maxine Long Merker, as well as her first husband, Lester L. Cruse and second husband, Raymond McKibben.

Betty enjoyed a long career working with the United States Corps of Engineers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and with the Federal Department of Parks and Tourism in Anchorage, Alaska and Pea Ridge, Arkansas. As wife to Lester Lee Cruse, an international airline pilot, she lived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Beirut, Lebanon, and Anchorage, Alaska and traveled the world, experiencing various cultures and soaking up the rich histories of many countries.  One of her most cherished trips was a trip to The Holy Lands with her father and stepmother.  In 1991 she married Raymond McKibben and lived on acreage close to her beloved Oklahoma, where she would visit with her two sisters and her elderly father. Betty and Ray enjoyed gardening, taking long walks, motorcycling and travelling the United States via motor home. She was as passionate about seeing the United States of America as she had been about seeing the world   In her eighties, she researched and traced her lineage back to the Revolutionary War on her father’s side and was so proud to find a patriot in the Revolutionary War.  She became a proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) in her eighties. She is survived by her eldest daughter, Glenda Cruse Hesson of Palm Coast, Florida and her husband, Clark and daughter Heather, and youngest daughter, Shari Cruse Greene of Memphis, Tennessee and her husband David and her two daughters and two son-in-laws, Leslie and Rusty Morris of Memphis, Tennessee and their two sons, Mark and Jake and Melanie and Nolan Morris of Atlanta, Georgia. Her greatest wish was to return to Oklahoma. Services will be held at Luginbuel Funeral Home in Vinita, Oklahoma, October 12, 2020 at 10:00 am, followed by graveside services at Big Cabin Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee and The Humane Society or local animal shelter of your choice.

The family asked that masks please be worn at the services due to family members who are having health issues. Masks will be provided to you at the service if you do not have one.

Arrangements are under the direction of Luginbuel Funeral Home, Vinita, Oklahoma.