Betty C. LARUE

Betty C. LaRue 80, passed away Friday, November 18, 2005 at her home in Tucson from an extended illness. Survivors include her husband of 60 years Jim E. LaRue; her sister Nell Raglund; three children, Jill LaRue and her husband Tom Ettinger, of Cashmere, Washington, Judy McCarthy and her husband Craig of Spokane, Washington; Tom LaRue and his wife Kim Ga Young of Dunham Market, England; five grandchildren, Stephen, Alexa, Connor, Michael, and Jesse; two step-grandchildren, Colleen and Matthew; one great grandson, James Jr. She was preceded in death by grandson James LaRue and sister Frances Johnson. Mrs. LaRue was born in West Virginia and attended Carson-Newman College in Tennessee where she met her husband who was in the Navy V-12 program. She then attended Marshall University in West Virginia. She married during World War II; and when her husband returned from service, she attended and graduated with a BS degree from Southwestern State University in Weatherford, Oklahoma. Mrs. LaRue served as assistant registrar at Wake Forest University in North Carolina and also at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. During the years her husband was coaching the Chicago Bears in Illinois, she was a realtor and earned honorary awards for her million dollars sales records. Upon her husband's retirement in 1993, she returned with him to their beloved Tucson area where they had reared their young children. In 1995, the LaRue's celebrated their golden wedding anniversary with relatives coming from as far away as Japan, Washington State, Virginia, and South Carolina. They recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on October 29, 2005. Services will be held Monday November 21, 2005 at 10:00 a.m. at Christ Church United Methodist, 655 N. Craycroft Rd., Tucson, AZ. Followed by interment at East Lawn Palms Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Christ Church United Methodist or Tucson Medical Center Hospice.Published on Tucson.com on 11/27/2005.