Betty Jo Cecil Whitley

Betty Jo Cecil Whitley, 90, passed away peacefully and surrounded by her family on Friday, April 19, 2019. A graveside service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Friday, April 26, 2019 at Forest Park Cemetery, St. Vincent. Officiating will be Rev. Ronney Joe Webb of First Baptist Church Shreveport. Betty was born September 29, 1928 in Shreveport, Louisiana to James Jefferson and Gladys Kent Cecil. Fiercely independent from a young age, Mrs. Whitley learned how to drive at the age of 13 and graduated early from C.E. Byrd High School, where she was a proud member of the Junior Reserve Training Corps. On August 2, 1947, she married George Lynch Whitley and together they had three children. Alongside her husband, she owned and operated Whitley Pharmacies from 1956 to 1982. While raising her children and running the family business, Mrs. Whitley was also a successful real estate agent. She was a member of various civic organizations and served on the board of trustees of Southfield School. Some of her favorite activities included fishing on Cross Lake with her grandchildren, sewing and crocheting with her granddaughter, playing bridge both with friends and online, and cooking delicious southern-style food for her family. She is survived by her daughter, Peggy Whittington; grandson, George Whittington and wife Bridget; granddaughter, Elizabeth Montgomery and husband Travis; niece, Betty Sue Clark and great-niece, Mary Katherine Clark. Mrs. Whitley is preceded in death by her husband, George Whitley; twin sons, George and Gene Whitley and sister, Peggy Stamos. Mrs. Whitley's family would like to extend their gratitude to all the staff at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport, Spring Lake Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and St. Joseph's Hospice. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials may be made in Mrs. Whitley's honor to the American Heart Association, 7272 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX, 75231 or First Baptist Church, 543 Ockley Dr., Shreveport, LA 71106.