Betty Alice Lewis, 94, of Midland, passed away on August 10, 2019 in Midland.It was July 8, 1925 when a baby girl was delivered, kicking and screaming, to William Arnett Lewis and Minnie Stuckey Lewis in Chillicothe, Texas. (You’d be kicking and screaming too if you had been carried aloft for several hours by a big white bird using only an oversized diaper as a carrier.)Although her birth certificate said her name was Betty Alice Lewis, there was a good deal of confusion about this, since her baby books read Betty Rene Lewis or Elizabeth Alice. To add to the confusion, for the years she worked for Shell Oil Company she was known as B A., and during her teen years she was known by her stage name of Tillie.She entered first grade at Hamilton, Texas in 1931 and during the next 18 months, she attended five different schools ending up in the second grade at Chillicothe where she graduated ten years later as valedictorian. During her school years, she developed a passion for reading, tennis, music, and history.She attended Durham’s Business College in Fort Worth and worked for a law firm in Fort Worth for several years. She then worked in Japan during the initial years of the occupation of Japan by the American forces. She returned to Fort Worth where she worked for the law firm of Cantey, Hanger, Johnson, Scarborough, and Gooch. After 2 years she moved to Midland to work for Shell Oil Company and then spent 37 years as secretary to Tom Sealy and other attorneys, at the firm of Stubbeman, McRae, Sealy, Laughlin & Browder. Upon retirement from the law firm, she continued working for the R. S. Brennand, Jr., Trust and for Florence Marie Hall, both of whom had been clients of the Stubbeman firm. She submitted her resignation to Marie Hall for the third time in 2013 at the age of 88, thus ending a long career as a secretary during a time initially when shorthand and typing skills were valued since computers had not entered the market.She was a member of the Midland Unitarian Universalist Church where, in the early years of its existence, she served from time to time as secretary, treasurer, or organist. She volunteered her time and talent for Permian Basin Master Gardeners, which named her an honorary member in 2008. Betty also volunteered for the Crisis Intervention Unit, as a reading tutor at Crockett Elementary School, for the Alzheimer’s Unit, and for Hospice of Midland.She spent her vacation time attending Elderhostel programs at various places from Rhode Island (where she was called upon on the night of concert to sight read the first part), to Florida on the east coast, to the Olympia Peninsula in the northwest, and to Carmel Valley, California, always dragging her trumpet and her tennis racquet behind her.She is survived by four nieces: Sandy Smith of Odessa, Jan (Mike) Clark of Spring Branch, Texas, Cindy (Bobby) Shaw of Sterrett, Alabama, and Pam (Bruce) Owens of Camden, Alabama; two nephews: Richard (Viki) Worley of Cedar Park, Texas and Dolph (Josie) Worley of Alamogordo, New Mexico, and 20 great nieces and great nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister, Joy Worley of Alamogordo, New Mexico, her brother, Robert H. Lewis, as well as by her nephew, James C. Howard, Jr. of Alma, Nebraska.The family of Betty Lewis thanks Dr. Russell Akin and his staff and the staff of Manor Park for their care of Betty over the last several months.A memorial service will be held in the Wallace Building chapel at Manor Park (2201 N. Loop 250 West at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, August 30, 2019.Memorials may be sent to Manor Park, Inc., 2201 N Loop 250 West, Midland, TX 79707, to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Midland, 3301 Neely Avenue, Midland, TX 79705, or Hospice of Midland, 911 W. Texas Ave., Midland, TX 79701, or another charity of one’s choice. ,
