Betty Fluegge

Elizabeth Lee "Betty" Mavers Fluegge, 90, of Whitewater passed away Monday morning, Oct. 3, 2022, at Lutheran Home, just a few weeks after sustaining an injury.

She was born Nov. 27, 1931, in her childhood home located just 4 miles southwest of Gordonville, in the unincorporated town once known as Houck in Cape Girardeau County. Betty was the eldest of three daughters born to William A.R. "Willie" and Edna H. Hamrick Bohnsack Mavers. In 1944, the family moved 1 mile south to the family farm, where Betty remained until recently.

Betty was baptized at Zion United Methodist Church in Gordonville. She and Wilman H. Fluegge were married April 11, 1958, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Tilsit. Wilman passed away March 10, 2005. In her years at Immanuel, Betty completed confirmation, served as a member of the Altar Guild, taught Sunday school and remained a member until her passing.

Betty would tell you, "To get to school, I walked 1 mile both ways up the hill" to attend the old, one-room Poplar Ridge schoolhouse. After eighth grade, she began working at International Shoe factory in Jackson to contribute extra income for the family. In the early 1970s, she began working alongside her sister in her business at Frontier Food Mart in Fruitland. With the addition of Frontier Restaurant in 1982, Betty moved next door as the cook. She was known for her kettle-cooked beef, chicken and dumplings, stockpiles of pies and the Friday night catfish. In 1986, Betty followed her sister to Gordonville Grocery and Gas and remained there through all the succession of owners until its closure in 2004.

When Betty was not away working, she was with her husband and son, raising cattle, baling hay, driving farm machinery, gardening and canning on the family farm. She continued to look after her parents into their golden years, as they lived nearby.

Loving survivors include her son, Ronald W. (Wilma) Fluegge of Whitewater; daughter, Lisa (Collin) McClanahan of Gordonville; four grandchildren, Anna E. Kangas of Benton, Missouri, Daniel M. Fluegge of Whitewater, and Troy-Lee C. and Lauren E. McClanahan of Gordonville; two great-granddaughters, Alyssa T. and Cara M. Kangas of Benton; sister, Wilma Langston of Oak Ridge; and brother-in-law, Tom Jones of Pocahontas.

Along with her husband and parents, Betty was preceded in death by her sister, Vanita M. Jones; brother-in-law, Gerald Langston; and an infant granddaughter.

Friends may call from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson.

Funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 7, at the funeral home, with the Rev. Mark Boettcher officiating. Burial will be at Immanuel Lutheran Church Cemetery in Tilsit.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery Fund or American Heart Association.

Online condolences may be sent to the family by clicking on the Tribute tab above Betty's obituary page at www.mccombsfuneralhome.com.