Betty Malicoat

Betty Malicoat, age 73 of Gatesville went home to be with the Lord on Friday, May 17, 2019 surrounded by the love of her family and her dogs.

Graveside services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Monday, May 20, 2019 at Hemmeline Cemetery.

Betty was born on August 6, 1945 in Temple to the late Clyde (Red) and Lucille Mc Queen Malicoat in Rogers, Texas. She grew up and went to school in Temple, Texas.

Betty showed a survivor’s spirit at the age of 10 when she went to work in Jody’s Place in Temple as a carhop, hiding her true age. The legal age to work at that time was thirteen and she took great pleasure in letting her bosses know she was legal on her thirteenth birthday.

The term Steel Magnolia truly does ring true for Betty. She was a tough lady who treated everyone she met with respect… until they crossed her. She fought for her life from everything from a heart attack to cancer and plenty of things in between. All of this while treating every medical professional with respect.

Another word to describe Betty is Champion. She has shown up in the ring to do battle for her family numerous times. She went against teachers, parents of bullies, her children’s partners as adults, and anyone who said she would pass away before she was ready or how she chose to leave this world. In the end, she won. She wanted to be home… and she was.

Her love of learning meant that she acquired many skills after retirement. She taught herself to use a computer and other forms of technology. She also taught herself to knit and to quilt. She loved to crochet and passed along that knowledge to her family. Quilting and her connection to people through Facebook became her favorite pastimes. She showed her love to her family through hand-stitching a quilt for each family member.

She is survived by her husband, Darvil (Pee Wee) Brewer; children, Kisha Hornung and husband, Ronald, Teresa Hardison, Mark Williams and wife, Michelle; four grandchildren, Sarah Pierce, Tanner Pierce and wife, Kelcy, Bailee Williams, and Cory Hornung.