Betty Jane Schimmels July 4, 1940 – October 20, 2023. Betty grew up in a rural part of western Oklahoma and attended high school in the town of Watonga. She had two brothers, Bob and Johnny, and one sister, Maxine. Her parents Harvey and Opal raised them on the farm outside of town. She was the youngest of four and always had a fun-loving attitude with all that she did. At age 14 she and her mother traveled to Oregon during the Oklahoma drought to work on a family orchard to help provide for the family during difficult times. When returning to Oklahoma she married the love of her life Don Schimmels at the age of 15 and they started their life together. They moved to Oklahoma City and raised their three children, Donnie, Gary, and Renee. Don worked as an OKC police officer and Betty worked at Tinker Air Force base after the children went through elementary and middle school. She loved being a mom and kept close to her brothers and sister having family gatherings quite often. In addition to being the neighborhood shuttle driver to little league sports she loved camping, fishing, and growing a garden. Betty, Maxine, and their mother loved getting together and canning vegetables grown from their gardens. She always loved a good game of pinochle or dominos with her siblings and their spouses. After retirement came her love for all the grandchildren. She and Don spent all their time loving on them. They were always willing to babysit for any of her kids wanting a night out. She loved Christmas and spoiling her grandchildren with presents. Holidays were all about family. Betty lived an exemplary life teaching the importance of family always. Everyone who knew her loved her. She is preceded in death by her parents, Harvey and Opal, siblings Maxine and Bob, and her husband, Don. She is survived by her brother Johnny, her children and their spouses, Donnie and Carrie Schimmels of Edmond, Gary and Jamie Schimmels of OKC, Renee and Bill Hayes of Liberty, MO, her eight grandchildren Jacob, Garrett, Amanda, Grayson, Cade, Luke, Erica, and Emma and one great grandchild, Grayson.
She will be forever loved and missed.
Visitation will be held from 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM on Monday, October 23, 2023, at Buchanan Funeral Service, 8712 N Council Rd. Oklahoma City, OK 73132. The graveside service will be held at 11:00 AM, Tuesday, October 24, 2023, at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens, 8701 NW Expressway Oklahoma City, OK 73162.
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