Bettie Louise Roscopf Finklea ascended to her eternal heavenly home on Tuesday April 4th, 2023, in Plano Texas. She was Born on December 3 ^rd , 1930, in Hopewell Virginia.  Her 92-year journey on earth was complete and her Christian works faithfully concluded.

She was a fun smart, loving, strong, woman who loved life and lived it well as a devoted wife to her Husband Lawrence of 53 years and mother to her 3 children Ronald, Donna and Keith. As a young lady of 18 she met her husband in Hopewell Virginia following the end of WWII. Lawrence, known as Larry by her, and she would travel back and forth from Virginia, her family home, to Texas, his family home, almost yearly to every few years. They settled in Virginia in the 60s then moved to Texas in the 70s making their permanent home in Marshall Texas.

She set up her first home on Twyman Street raising Ronald and Donna and caring for her father-in-law until his passing. She was a member of the Second Baptist Church in Marshall Texas. She would laughingly share a story of one Sunday she was in church and when the choir sang, the family goat Larry had in the back yard across the street from the church, would "bahh" during the singing resulting in the congregation laughing at the strange sounds coming through the churches open windows.

During their time in Virginia, Donna and Ronald begged their parents for a baby and along came their brother Keith. Louise taught Donna how to care for a newborn and they would dress him up and adoringly take him to professional photo shoots.

After their move to Texas and later in years the loss of her eldest Son, Ronald and her Husband, Lawrence, Louise continued to live in Marshall Texas with her son, Keith until her health became challenging to manage, then moved to Plano Tx to live with her daughter and Son-in-law Donna and Eddie Wall.

After numerous critical hospitalizations in the last 10 years, due to chronic COPD, her daughter found the best medical team who secured the right regime of treatment to allow her to live the rest of her life comfortably and full, with continuous home care and family caregiving support.

She loved to travel, fish, dance, work word puzzles, read, listen to country and gospel music and socialize, socialize, socialize! She was proud to be a lifetime member of the VFW Auxiliary of the Hopewell Virginia Post. She was devoutly patriotic and loved to attend any event celebrating our country's veterans.  Including visiting Washington DC WWII Memorial. She especially loved attending shows and listening to her son-in-law's singing chorus, Dallas' Vocal Majority. She never met a stranger wherever she went. She loved reading the newspaper every day and could recite the events of the country and world. She was not shy to express her opinion but knew best when to hold her thoughts to herself. Her best talent was cooking. Pecan pie, buttermilk biscuits and gravy, purple hull peas and the best cornbread southern style to name of few. She knew how to operate her cell phone, texting and socializing on Facebook which she loved so much. She even made her own avatar! Her daily and nightly prayers started and ended through Christian pages she followed on Facebook for spiritual hope and love.

Early in her marriage, Louise held few jobs outside her home such as a waitress, making jeans in a manufacturing plant and as a switchboard telephone operator. Her best job was a homemaker, housewife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and great great Grandmother. She was a skilled seamstress and enjoyed dressing up to go out at every opportunity when her health was best.

She adored her mother Sallie Bet Harris Roscopf, and her father, Conrad, sisters, Mary Martin, Margaret Jennings Cromer and Doris Broughton and her brother William Roscopf all of Virginia. All whom passed on before her. She was the last of her husband Larry's siblings and spouses who also passed long before her as well.

Her everlasting footprint is embedded in her surviving children, Donna Wall of Plano Tx and Keith Finklea of Marshall Tx, granddaughters, Randi Brooke Dixon and Sheri Marie Finklea and great grandchildren, LaRissa, Madyson, Colin, Breanne, Joshwa and Rhyne and her great great granddaughter, Penelope Louise. She also gained a bonus granddaughter Amanda Dixon and bonus great granddaughter Jessie Pryor whom she loved as her own. All of Marshall, Tx. She was loved by her many nieces and nephews in Texas, Virginia, Illinois and California. She always looked forward to trips to visit her relatives wherever they were in the country. Some of her fun travels took her to Montreal Canada, San Lucas Mexico and most of the central states and east coast. She loved family beach vacations every chance they were planned. She recalled visiting Graceland twice and loved listening to Elvis like her sister Mary. She actually saw Elvis live at the Louisiana Hayride in the early 50s as he was first getting started and never forgot the details of his stimulating performance and rise to fame.

She loved her many friends and looked forward to visiting them every chance she was in town after she moved to Plano later in life. Especially her friend Texie Evers where they would love to go out to eat, dance, and have numerous sleepovers. Before she moved to Plano, she frequently attended local Marshall and Hallsville Senior dances and took her great granddaughter Madyson, teaching her how to dance. She made friends with Miranda Lamberts grandmother and recalled meeting Miranda and Blake Shelton at her friend's funeral.

She would lighten up with overwhelming joy whenever her "most handsome nephew in the family" as she would say, Brian Finklea, would come around every spring at the Family cemetery in Old Center Texas where a large spread of food would be abundantly prepared by all who attended, to feed crowds of extended family, friends, and neighbors. She loved all her sister in Laws and frequently stayed in touch with them. She often would call all her nieces and nephews to find out how her sister-in-Law, Bernice Roscopf in Virginia was doing if she couldn't get her to answer her phone. They shared the same 92 years in age.

To sum up Louise Finklea's life, it is fitting to say her life was well lived, a long long life well lived, she is who her family defines as the "glue that held the family together". Her presence will be forever missed by all those who loved her. Her footprints are forever embedded in those who came after her and who live on to honor her life and the many gifts she leaves behind within each and every one of them. She so loved her family.

To each person here today, you were very special to her as is her Pallbearers, each one selected for their love for her and her love for them, the family thanks you for carrying her to her final resting place as she is laid beside her Husband and Son.

As we depart today knowing how lucky we are to have known her and be loved by her, may her love for the Lord guide us to follow her sample to be the best we can be and model her spiritual love of life and Christ to find our purpose and continue the Lords work on earth.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made in her honor to the Collin County Meals On Wheels.