Obituary of Bettie Kay Thomas Chouinard
Bettie Kay Thomas Chouinard, beloved sister, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother passed away Sunday, January 17, 2021. Bettie was born in Madisonville, TX on May 11, 1932. The childhood of Bettie and her siblings was not easy but miraculously the result was a lifelong bond between the two brothers, four sisters, and beloved in laws. Bettie was preceded in death by brother Fred (and his wife, Elaine Thomas), sister Retha Miller, and brother James Thomas. Bettie loved speaking on a regular basis with sisters Johnnie Willhite, Maude Spivey and sister-in-law Mary Thomas. Bettie was the devoted wife of 52 years to Bernie Chouinard, who passed on May 5, 2002. The two are survived by children Cheryl Alexander, Carole (John Pettey) Chouinard, and Paul (Carie) Chouinard; grandchildren Staci (Will) Strait, Annelise (Wyatt Keusch) Baer, Darin Baer, Aidan Chouinard, and beloved honorary granddaughter Angela Alexander (JJ) Roth; and three great-grandchildren, Hayden, Ella, and Amelia Strait.
At the age of 16, Bettie graduated from high school in Paris, TX. She moved to Houston to live with her brother, Fred, his wife, Elaine, their young family, her sister, Johnnie, and others who Fred and Elaine made room for. It was at a roller skating rink in Houston where Bettie met an Air Force Staff Sergeant and WWII vet, Bernie Chouinard. The two wed in 1950. Thus began 30 years of travel as the Air Force took the family to Mississippi, Massachusetts, Japan, California, Arizona, and Louisiana. Bernie had to be in Japan six months prior to the family arriving —which meant that Bettie from Madisonville, TX, all of 26 with two small children, had to take her first airplane flight, ever, without Bernie but with Cheryl and Carole, from Houston to Tokyo and train to Misawa, Japan. In Japan Bettie took an ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) class that she thoroughly enjoyed. It was while living in Alexandria, LA that son Paul was born. In 1969 the family returned to Tucson, where Bernie and Bettie had decided to retire. The house on 19th Street became a place where Bettie saw all the neighborhood kids as her own and welcomed every new neighbor. Bettie was always active as a room mother for her children but once they were older she embarked on a career as a friendly neighborhood Avon Lady. She sold Avon for well over ten years before obtaining a job at KMart. She enjoyed the people she worked with and all that she learned while there. Throughout all these years Bettie was an active member of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Tucson. Bernie and Bettie were founding members of the church and at the time of her passing Bettie was the last living founding member of the congregation. For years Bettie volunteered in the church office and served on the altar guild. After Bernie passed and was interred in the church’s memorial garden, Bettie spent a lot of time tending the garden. Bettie’s later years were spent as a member of The Society of Military Widows, where she met many new friends. She enjoyed lunches with friends from St. Matthew’s and feeding her beloved backyard birds. Bettie loved talking on the phone to her brother, sisters, and sisters-in-law as well as her children and grandchildren. She was a devoted grandmother who loved everything her grandchildren said, wrote, or did. Becoming a great-grandmother was icing on the cake. She loved being Nana to Hayden, Ella, and Millie. A decline in health led to the addition of caregiver Christina Cruz, who became a beloved, devoted friend to Bettie as well as to Cheryl, Carole, and Paul. There is no way the family could have made it through these last years without Christina. The family would like to thank the staff of Brookdale Tanque Verde for their professionalism, care, and concern for Bettie over the past year and a half. Especially since the COVID-19 restrictions kept family and friends from visiting. The family is requesting that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, www.desert museum.org/donate, or the Alzheimer’s Association, www.alz.org/donate.
