Madra Marlene [Cook] Bettis Hullinger 1917-2010

COOK, BETTIS, HULLINGER, REYNOLDS, SECKINGTON, MCVEY, VAUGHN

Posted By: Curtis (email)
Date: 3/6/2010 at 02:48:55

DEATH NOTICE:

(The Leon Journal-Reporter Leon, Iowa February 24, 2010)

BETTIS, Madra, 92, of Leon, Iowa, died February 17, 2010 at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines. Visitation will be held at the Slade-O'Donnell Funeral Home in Leon Tuesday, February 23 beginning in the morning with family receiving friends from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, February 24 at 10:00 a.m. at the funeral home with Rev. Max Carmichael officiating. Burial will be in the Hamilton Cemetery, Pleasanton, Iowa.

A memorial has been established by the family.

Obituary -

(The Leon Journal-Reporter Leon, Iowa February 24, 2010)

MADRA BETTIS HULLINGER ... Madra Marlene Bettis Hullinger, age 92 of Leon, Iowa, daughter of William and Stella [Reynolds] Cook, was born July 18, 1917 in rural Vinton, Iowa and died February 17, 2010 at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa.

Madra grew up in the Vinton and Waterloo, Iowa area. As a young girl, Madra was needed to help out a great deal at home. When just a young teenager she even lied about her age to obtain work at the local broom factory.

On February 2, 1942, Madra married Ralph Casper Bettis at Unionville, Missouri. While Ralph was serving in the U.S. Army during world War II, Madra worked in the shipyards at Portland, Oregon as a welder. Rosie the riveter had nothing on Madra the Welder, and Madra was proud of her job.

Madra was a practical, hard-working woman who found employment wherever she lived. She was employed in a packing plant, at John Deere, various restaurants, and even ran a machine shop in Corydon, Iowa. Ralph and Madra farmed near Humeston and south of Leon. Madra helped with the farming through the years. One winter, she cared for 2,000 laying hens and brought water by hand from the hand pump in the kitchen. Once she even hand planted beans when the planter missed a couple of rows.

Madra and Ralph moved to the Leon area in 1962 and moved into Leon in May 1987. Many years earlier Madra and Ralph had been farm neighbors with Arlo and Betty Hullinger. following both Ralph and Betty's deaths in 1988, Madra and Arlo became reacquainted through area music jams. They were married May 4, 1966 in Kirksville, Missouri.

Madra and Arlo enjoyed their time together, especially attending jam sessions. Arlo played the guitar, and Madra danced. Dancing was a very important part of Madra's life - taking the trains into Chicago as a young woman to the Big Band dances, teaching people to waltz, and taking up line dancing in her retirement. Madra liked listening to Arlo play for the jams and for his Gospel Band. Madra was fun to be around and appreciated by those who knew her.

Madra was baptized and a member of the Waterloo Christian Church. She sang in the church choir.

Preceding Madra in death were her husband Ralph; her parents; two sisters; and two brothers.

Surviving are her husband Arlo Victor Hullinger of Leon; 5 step-children: Larry Hullinger of Phoenix, Arizona, Linda Seckington and husband Larry of Kansas City, Missouri, Don Hullinger and wife Veronica of Van Wert, Iowa, Lila Kay McVey and husband Mike of Leon, and Cindy Vaughn and husband Jesse of Melbourne, Florida; 9 step-grandchildren and several step-great grandchildren; nieces and nephews; and other relatives and friends.