Obituary for Bettie Fox

Bettie Mae Fox

May 16, 1929 – December 16, 2018

Mrs. Bettie Mae Fox, 89, of Ponca City went to be with her lord on December 16, 2018. Friends are welcome to pay their respects at Grace Memorial Chapel on Friday from from 9-5. A memorial Service will be held for Bettie at the First Baptist Church Chapel in Ponca City on Saturday, December 22, 2:00 p.m. Pastor Mark Bush will officiate the service. A balloon release will follow the service at Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery East of Ponca City. Honorary pallbearers for the service will include her sons, Michael, Stephen, and Christopher, Kyle Wentworth, Chris Briggs, and Tony Hernandez, Derek Hernandez and her great grandsons Lane and Evan.

Bettie was born on May 16, 1929 in Billings, Oklahoma the daughter of William Jonathan Faken and Nellie Mae Bishop Faken. She graduated from Ponca City High in 1947. Bettie became a mother for the first time on March 22, 1948 when her son Michael Wright was born in Ponca City. He was her pride and joy. Shortly thereafter, on September 24, 1949 she was blessed with a beautiful baby girl, Teresa, in Ponca City. She devoted the next few years to being the best mom and raising her babies with love. On May 31, 1952 she was blessed with a second son, Stephen Wright in Wichita, Kansas. She met the love of her life, Bill Fox and on January 5, 1963 they were joined as one. This union yielded the couple one more precious baby boy, Christopher Fox. He was born on December 5, 1964 in Ponca City. Sadly, her daughter Teresa passed away in 1972 and this left a big hole in her heart. Bettie had a soft spot in her heart for dogs and had many special four-legged friends over the years. Charlie was her favorite fur baby. She was a member of the Second Baptist Church and worked as a crossing guard for Ponca City Public Schools. Her hobbies included spending time with her grandkids and great grandkids, listening to country music, CB radio, sewing, and sharing popcorn with her dog. On June 10, 1985, her granddaughter, Teresa was born. The two were very close. Teresa was like a daughter to Bettie. Losing Bettie is the hardest thing Teresa has ever faced.

Because Bettie loved country music and because her son Chris lives in Nashville, she had the opportunity to see many of her idols play live. She saw Kenny Rogers, attended the Grand Ole Opry in the 1990s, saw Dolly Parton in Tulsa in 2013 where Dolly serenaded her with her famous song, “Coat of Many Colors”. She even met her favorite artist, Chris Young in Tulsa. She spent time with Chely Wright one of her favorites while Chris worked for her on the road.

She leaves behind to cherish her memory her sons Michael Wright and wife Terry of Texas, Stephen Wright and wife Barbara of Texas, and Christopher Fox of Tennessee, granddaughter Teresa Briggs and husband Chris of Ponca City, grandchildren, McKenzie Wright, Matthew Wright, Amanda Goodman, and Alex Fox, Great grandkids Lane Briggs, Gabrielle Briggs, and Evan Briggs, Jessie Jones, Hailey Goodman, Isabelle Goodman, and Madeline Wright.

She was reunited in heaven with her husband, parents, daughter Teresa Carlene Wright, and brother Gene Faken.