Funeral services for Betty Staples Hale, age 87, of Calhoun will be held at 11:00 AM, Monday, January 7, 2019 at Owens Memorial Chapel in Ruston with Bro. Bill Staples officiating.  Burial will follow in the Liberty Baptist Church Cemetery in Calhoun under the direction of Owens Memorial Chapel Funeral Home of Ruston.

Betty was a woman of faith who relished life and loved people. Raised by a musically gifted mother and an outgoing father, she lent her rich alto voice to church music groups throughout her life and seldom met a stranger.  Her door was always open to family, friends and their children. While she gave birth to four, she was "Mother" to many. Moreover, she made it a mission to remember each one with personal cards and notes throughout the year. Her other great loves grew out of this passion for people; they were cooking and sewing. Her chicken and spaghetti is legend, along with her sour cream coconut cake.  And, while sewing for children and grandchildren with a friend, she was introduced to the Louisiana Passion Play in the 1980s. For more than a decade, she helped create and manage costumes for the dozens of actors involved in this outdoor production. She also made blankets for each child at the Louisiana Baptist Children's Home at Christmas.

As offered by a granddaughter, "Betty Hale was a force – she brought fun and light and she loved her family something fierce. She will be greatly missed, but her legacy will endure!" She is preceded by her paternal grandparents, Pearl and J. J. Staples; her maternal grandparents, Betty and Oliver Stringfield Slocum; her parents, Vivian and Fred Staples; and her daughter, Cheryl Howard.

Betty's survivors include daughter, Carolyn and her husband, Roy Herzer, of Marysville, WA; daughter Karen and her husband, Michael Knox, of Choudrant, LA; son, John Hale, of Houston, TX; and son-in-law, Mike Howard, of Katy, TX.  Grandchildren are Noelle and Lerin Herzer of Seattle, WA; Shane Herzer and his wife, Holly, of Seattle, WA; Chris Herzer and his wife, Stephanie Collin, of Mountlake Terrace, WA; Jon Smith of Muenster, TX; Shey Howard and his wife, Becki, of Marietta, GA; Breanna Howard of Katy, TX; Courtney and her husband, Cody Henrichsen, of Kyle, TX;  and Eric Hale of McKinney, TX; along with seven great-grandchildren, Hunter, Cash, Chloe, Leila, Ayla, Evelyn and Adeline; along with her siblings, Charles Staples and his wife, Bobbie, of Calhoun, LA; Dorothy Nolan of Lafayette, LA; and Sandra Sue and her husband, Tommy Milstead, of Calhoun, LA. In addition, she leaves behind dozens of "adopted children", cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. She loved them all!

Serving as pallbearers will be Shane Herzer, Chris Herzer, Jon Smith, Jake Staples, Zach Staples and Joe Sydes.  Honorary pallbearers are Sam Staples, James Staples and Hunter Smith.

Visitation will be Monday from 10:00 AM until service time at Owens Memorial Chapel.