Betty Ann (Dawson) Hughes, 87, Harrisonville, MO, died Wednesday, May 9, 2018 at Research Medical Center in Kansas City, MO. Funeral services were held May 12, 2018 at the Atkinson Funeral Home in Harrisonville with burial in Wills Cemetery, Peculiar, MO.

Betty was born near Roscoe, MO on October 25, 1930 to Espie Thomas and Lillian Gertrude (Smith) Dawson, the first born of 7 brothers and sisters, Betty, Billy, Mary, Tom, Dolores, Burnis, and Carol.  The first 13 years of her life was spent near Roscoe, where she attended the little country school, which was named for her great-grandfather, Benton Green.  In October, 1943, the Dawson family moved to Peculiar, MO, where Betty finished her schooling, graduating as the Salutatorian of the Peculiar High School class of 1949.

In July, 1949, she started working as a cashier for Bendix Corporation of Kansas City. On February 18, 1950, she was united in marriage to Jim O. Hughes of Garden City, MO.  Betty continued to work at Bendix until July, 1954, when she resigned to stay at home and take care of their first born child, Regina Ann, who was born May 23, 1954.  In March, 1955, they purchased and moved to a farm west of Harrisonville.

On November 4, 1958, a son, Espie Owen was born. After the two children started school Betty was the co-owner of the Harrisonville Secretarial Service in Harrisonville for the next 5 years.  In 1973, she attended the coach's certification class, becoming a certified bowling coach.  She was an avid bowler. She held a lifetime membership in the Women's International Bowling Congress.  For the next 23 years, Betty was the Director of the Junior Bowling Program at Westchester Lanes in Harrisonville.  For many years she served as a Director on the Board of the Kansas City Junior Council.  Betty served as the National Co-Chairman of Registration for the 1993 National Junior Bowling Tournament in Kansas City.  She also served 16 years as Secretary-Treasurer of the ladies Tuesday Night Ball and Pin League.  She also bowled in 12 National Bowling Tournaments.

A friend then encouraged her to drive a school bus for R. W. Harmon Bus Company, who had a contract with the Harrisonville School District. She drove Bus #4, which was the route that passed her house for the next 12 years, until both children had graduated. Betty then obtained work with the Internal Revenue Service, holding the position of tax clerk for the next six years, resigning in 1986.

She and her husband, Jim were the Community Leaders of Bill's 4-H Club for 7 years. Betty also served as the sewing and cooking leader.  Betty was a member of the Bill's Extension Club, where she held various offices within the Club.  Betty helped with the farming, while Jim worked as a preventive machine repairman for the next 39 years, retiring on January 1, 1990.  Betty enjoyed a wide variety of flowers and had many flower beds every summer.  She was one heck of a cook and everyone loved her Soggy Cake.  In her later years she liked to play Bingo at the Elks Lodge and at the VFW with many of her friends.

Betty loved camping and traveling to many areas of the United States, traveling with her husband, pulling their travel trailer behind. The highlight of her travels was in September 1999, when she toured Austria, Germany and Switzerland.  She enjoyed the winter months at her second home in Weslaco, TX at the Snow-To-Sun RV Park.

She often commented that she had lived in two different centuries and had seen many changes in all the inventions and technology. Some of these were televisions, then color TV; microwaves, DVD's, Xerox, CD's, VCR's, credit cards, ball point pens, computers and printers that would do anything.  She got to see, "a man put on the moon", along with the space station high in the sky, traveling several times to Florida to see the shuttle blast off into the wild blue yonder.  And last, a lot of fast food businesses!

Betty was preceded in death by her father, Espie Dawson 1985, a brother, Tom 1989, her mother, Lillian Dawson 1994, her husband, Jim 1998, two sisters, Mary Zumwalt 2015 and Carol Jakubczak 2016.  She is survived by one daughter, Regina Hawley and husband, Richard, Harrisonville, MO; one son, Espie Hughes and wife, Jeanne, Creighton, MO; two brothers, Billy Dawson and Burnis Dawson, both of Harrisonville; one sister, Dolores Bassett, Lee's Summit, MO; 4 grandchildren, Chanel Stephens and husband, Matt, Hannibal, MO, Daniel Balducci and wife, Jamie, Harrisonville, MO, Tyler Hughes and Travis Hughes, both of Creighton, MO; 8 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great-grandsons.