Bettilee Emmendorfer

Bettilee "Betty" Cook Emmendorfer, 81, of Cape Girardeau, formerly of Perryville, Missouri, passed away Friday, July 25, 2014, at the Chateau Girardeau Nursing Home in Cape Girardeau.

She was born Sept. 8, 1932, in Stronghurst, Illinois, to Fred and Mary Worley Cook. She and Frank Emmendorfer Jr. were married Aug. 16, 1952, at the former St. Mary's of the Barrens Catholic Church in Perryville.

Their union was blessed with six children, two of whom preceded Bettilee in death.

Betty was a graduate of Galesburg High School in Galesburg, Illinois, and Gradwohl School of Medical Technology in St. Louis. She then worked as a lab technician at Perry County Memorial Hospital in Perryville.

Betty and Frank resided many years in Perryville and were active members of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church.

They owned and operated Perryville Machine Shop in Perryville and Jackson and Braswell Water Quality Systems in Jackson.

In 1980, they moved to Cape Girardeau and attended St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Cape Girardeau and Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Jackson.

She was a member of PEO and The Garden Club of Cape Girardeau.

In addition to being a loving wife, mother and grandmother, Bettilee was an accomplished cook, an avid golfer and volunteered at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau and Meals on Wheels through the Cape Senior Center.

She had a contagious sense of humor, and once you met her, you would always remember her.

Loving survivors include her husband of nearly 62 years, Frank of Cape Girardeau; four children, Dan (Joyce) Emmendorfer III of Cape Girardeau, Marcia (John) Thompson and Paul (Beth) Emmendorfer all of Jackson, and Matt (Liz) Emmendorfer of Collierville, Tennessee; a son-in-law, Rick Ziegler of Jackson; ten grandchildren, Angie (Ben) McKuin, Brian Emmendorfer (fiancee Candace Godwin), J.P. Thompson (fiancee Carter Vieira), Emily Thompson, Madison Scheper, Allison Ziegler, Margaret Emmendorfer, Anna Ziegler, Kate Emmendorfer and Sarah Emmendorfer.

She was preceded in death by two children, Mary Ziegler and Mark Emmendorfer; her parents; and a sister, Reety Cook Moore.

Visitation is from 4:30 to 6:45 p.m. Monday at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Cape Girardeau. At 6:45 p.m., the family will remember Bettilee with a eulogy, followed by the funeral Mass at 7 p.m.

Burial will be private at Russell Heights Cemetery in Jackson.

Memorials may take the form of contributions to the Alzheimer's Association.

Arrangements by McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson.

Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting mccombsfuneralhome.com.