Betty Fox

THE LIFE OF A QUEEN

“Her children rise up and call her blessed…honor her for all that her hands have done and let her works bring her praise…” Proverbs 31:28 & 31

Those of us whose lives Betty June touched, who were privileged to walk in the shining light of her presence, are certainly rising to call her blessed and give all honor to God for the work she did here on earth!

Betty June Stewart was born in Chickasha, Oklahoma on June 16, 1931. She was the third child and second daughter of 13 children born to Eartha Dorsey and Eugene Stewart. Betty always spoke lovingly of her childhood growing up in Chickasha. Her descriptions were so idyllic, you might have thought she had spent her youth in a perfect little town from a Hallmark movie. She regaled many of us with tales of Chickasha, from the memories of 3 meals a day with her mother making homemade bread and no one being able to eat until her father was there at the table for them to bless the food, to the playground her father built for them in their back yard. She accepted the Lord at New Hope Baptist Church at an early age where she and her siblings attended church with their parents. She shared stories of her and her siblings enjoying great times in the church including being taught the value of sharing with others and learning the importance of putting God first in everything they did.

We loved to laugh at her stories of Uncle Stew walking in the front door of Lincoln High School, and right back out the back door, or tales of Aunt Florence insisting on getting herself a dance in at the local dance club while sweet Betty pleaded with her from across the street to hurry up and come walk home with her before they both got in trouble! But as much as she did not want to get in trouble, she wasn’t going to leave her big sister. Family loyalty and unity was something she was taught from an early age, and these were traits that she lived and taught her children and grandchildren throughout her life.

After graduating as valedictorian of her high school class, Betty headed off to Wichita, Kansas to attend Wichita Business College. While attending school in late 1948, she met and married William Russell Fox. To this union were born Pamela, Stefania, Georgia Ann, Rebecca, and Daryl. The young family settled in Wellington, KS for a few years before moving to Denver in 1959. Betty later met and married Marshall McGrew and to that union Marsha Lynn was born.

Betty’s remarkable strength endured in all situations. Always looking to God first, she instilled a strong belief in self in her children and practiced love and respect for others that allowed her to always see the best in everyone. As a member of Zion Baptist church for many years she was a dedicated member of the Usher Board, Sunday School classes and participated in community outreach activities. Attending church with her children every Sunday was a joy and non-negotiable part of her life. Her most recent church membership was at Heritage Christian Center under the late Pastor Dennis Leonard and the current Pastor Marlon Saunders. At Heritage she continued to enjoy the Word of God and fellowship with others. One of her favorite things to do was to go to the Church bookstore following the service for tapes and additional reading material.

The Eastside Neighborhood Health Center (known today as the Bernard F. Gipson, Sr. Eastside Family Health Center) opened on Monday, March 7, 1966. Betty was a part of the original staff supervising in the medical records department. She was proud of the work being done at the health center as it afforded health care to so many.

Anyone who knew Betty well would say that she was not only incredibly sweet and loving, but also an industrious woman with a fierce work ethic. Many may not have known that she was among the vanguard of women who paved the way for little Black girls to enter what we now call the STEM field. A “hidden figure” of the early tech and computing industry, Betty took the skills she gained at business college to work for a Black-owned data processing service in Denver.

Never one to rest on her laurels, she joined forces with her good friend Hope to start AAA Keypunch, one of the first such tech companies in the region owned by women of color — much to the chagrin of her former boss who thought these ladies had no business competing against him! This dynamic duo forged a successful path together but after many years, Betty struck out on her own and became the sole proprietor of her own business, Quality Keypunch. In her transformed garage she set to work with her new employees — her children — who will all tell you that they never worked harder than they did for their no-nonsense mama!

Betty genuinely enjoyed making her contribution to society and continued in the workforce well into her senior years. Before finally retiring for good, she worked for Denver Public Schools for 20 years, helping to set up school libraries with the books needed to challenge and expand young minds. She was a lifelong learner and many of her coworkers said she always had the biggest stack of books on her desk because she was reading them before shipping them out to the schools. Her name is proudly displayed on a plaque at the Montebello Public Library as a Library Benefactor.

An avid sports fan, Betty could be found on any given Sunday telling the refs off from her couch if she felt her favorite team was being cheated (she saved her strongest contempt for any refs that dared to call a foul on her grandson Darrick!)  She was loyal to Oklahoma University Football and checked the playing schedule each week to prepare to watch. For many years, her children and grandchildren descended on her home in Denver for the annual Broncos/Raiders football showdown. Serious planning went into this tailgating fete – right down to the homemade breakfast burritos and her famous BRISKET. The Fox family tailgate was the hottest ticket in town and one of her most memorable moments as a Broncos fan was winning the ‘Tailgater of the Month’ crown in 2008.

Family was EVERYTHING to Betty. She spread an abundance of unwavering love, joy, acceptance, open-mindedness and, most of all, wisdom to not only those who belonged to her, but anyone else who came into her orbit. She became everybody’s “Big Mama” and had a knack for saying the exact words you needed to hear. For her grandchildren it was not uncommon to receive a phone call and hear “Babe, I am not trying to get in your business, but……”

On November 23, 2020, Betty earned her wings and was promoted from elder to ancestor — joining all those who went before her to watch over and guide those left to cherish her memory. She was preceded in death by her parents, as well as brothers Albert and Bill, sisters, Florence, Wanda, Ellen, Lorraine, Evelyn Ann, Jacquelyn, and Patricia, stepchildren Musheer Muhammad and Sandra Augusta and great grandson Gabriel Lee Ford.

Betty leaves to carry on her legacy her loving brother Michael Stewart (Zoraida) Denver, CO; sister Kay Kuykendall (Gary) Chickasha, OK; five daughters and one son — Pamela Martin (Jesse) Los Angeles, CA; Stefania Eskridge, Georgia Ann Frazier (Alfred), Rebecca Ford, Marsha Lynn Hayes (JessIe) and Daryl Fox (Diana), stepdaughter Patricia McGrew all of Denver, CO, and daughter-in-law Kathryn Fox (Park City, FL). Grandchildren Darrick, Andre, Dionne, Kevin, KeVanna, Danielle, Michelle, Jessica, Chenoa, Brittany, Alfred II, Nicole, Jordan, Gill II, Daryl Jr., Brian, Garrett, Terrance, Maya, Carl, Brandon, Tai and Justin; 46 great-grandchildren ..some adopted; and a host of nieces, nephews and friends.

An author once wrote of a lost loved one, “She was the sun of my life, the gilder of every pleasure, the soother of every sorrow, I had not a thought concealed from her, and it is as if I had lost a part of myself.”

These words manage to capture the sentiments of all those who love Betty. She really was the brightest star in her family’s universe and as her legacy, we will continue to embody her spirit and shine on, so that the beauty of her light never dims.