of Searcy, AR
January 3, 1927 - May 13, 2015
Betty Lou Dugger Lawyer, age 88, died May 13 at her home in Searcy following a short illness. She was born Jan. 3, 1927 in Hillsboro, TX as one of
five children of Thomas Buford and Mamie Dugger. She enrolled at Harding College in Searcy in 1946, where she met Virgil Lawyer. They were married 65 years before his death in 2012.
Soon after their marriage the couple moved to Japan to serve as missionaries
and to assist in the construction and establishment of Ibaraki Christian College. After five years they returned to America and resided in West Texas and Missouri before returning to Searcy in 1961. She was a member of the College Church of Christ.
She developed a deep love for the people of Japan and has remained in
contact with a number of friends there through the years. The couple returned to Japan in 1975 to celebrate an anniversary of the college, which currently remains in operation. For 23 years she taught fifth grade in Searcy Public Schools, and her effectiveness in the classroom remains evident through the lives of former students who continued to seek her counsel. Throughout her life she modeled genuine Southern grace and charm with spunk, and she had a way of responding to a serious comment with a touch of humor and the right amount of sarcasm.
Surviving are three daughters: Lauren (Mike) Reese of Ft. Worth; Andee
(Jimmy) Cone of Little Rock; and Jan (David) Underwood of Searcy; six
grandchildren Beau Jennings of Fort Worth, Matthew (Liz) Underwood of Searcy; Patrick Cone (Lauren) of Dallas; Luke Underwood (Juliana) of Little Rock; Blair (Ray) Blanco of Ft. Worth; and Alex (Krista) Cone of Brooklyn, N. Y. ; and great-grandchildren Eliot Cone; Anderson Underwood, Ellie Grace Underwood, and Thomas Underwood with Simon Underwood due in July; and a brother, Joe Dugger of Waxahachie, Tx. She was preceded in death by three sisters, Arlene Kennedy, Ruth Statum and Marian Hettich.
The family appreciates the care and attention shown by Irene Redman,
Brenda Craig, Wanda Petty and Helen Luttrell and by the staff of Arkansas Hospice.
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 16, 2015 at the College Church of Christ with family visitation to follow from 3-4 p.m. in the fellowship room. A private family interment at White County Memorial Gardens will follow under the direction of Roller-Daniel Funeral Home. Memorials may be made to the Virgil and Lou Endowed Scholarship Fund at Harding University.
For online guestbook, www.rollerfuneralhomes.com
We were in the very first class at Lubbock Christian, and were in Virgil's classes. Norma also worked for Virgil when he first came to Harding as Dean of Students and Director of Admissions. In later years, I would call and talk to Lou, and she was always sharp as ever--and so very loving and blessing. She has been on my mind for several weeks to call her--and I'm so sorry to learn that she is gone. But how can we really be sorry when we know where she is, now!
May God comfort each member of her family.
Lovingly,
Norma - and Bob
May your loved one rest in peace, may love and support from family and friends help ease your pain. Jehovah God and his son Jesus Christ promise our loved ones will live again on a paradise earth in the near future - Psalms 37:29; Isaiah 42:8, all those in the memorial tombs will hear Jesus voice and come out -John 5:27-29.
So very sorry for your loss. Mrs Lawyer was my 5th grade teacher at McRae Elem School. She was one of my very favorite teachers. What I remember most about her was that she instilled a love of reading, & I still love to read. Her Christianity definitely showed in the class room. God bless you all as you go through this loss.
Your mother was a true example of a Christian. I remember visiting your family in Shallowater with your grandparents, the Duggers from "LCC". Sending prayers of comfort.
To the Lawyer family…
No words can truly express how deeply saddened so many people are, just know that our thoughts and prayers are with you all. Lou was an amazing person with a huge heart and an infectious smile, and she will be remembered as such.
Randy and Kathy Harris
Lauren, Andee and Jan, I am sorry for not being able to come to your sweet mother's service yesterday. Please know that I am keeping you close in my heart right now. Wishing you the strength to deal with the sad times.
Lauren, my Mother and Daddy counted your folks as great friends. Am sending you love, respect, and sympathy
Love to all. What a great lady & a great family. Holding you up in prayer.
I'm a member of the 1974-75 fifth grade class at McRae Elementary. I always felt I had problems fitting in. One day Mrs. Lawyer brought an angel made from shiny peach colored cloth with glimmering cloth over its shoes and wrists. A hat on its head trimmed the peach in white and covered short dark brown hair. The cloth all covered strong bendable metal so that it could be made so sit level wherever it was placed. It sat on my bed for years even after I graduated high school. I still have it. That is a perfect example of a teacher who truly cared about "her kids" beyond the classroom. She was an angel for me. A person I will never forget. Her first words to the class was to make sure her last name was spelled correctly. That was her one pet peeve. . I will always remember and love you Mrs. Lawyer.
Sending love and sympathy to your family. We have so many warm memories of her smiles, witticisms, and wise observations, and we will all miss her.
We praise God for the life of Lou Lawyer whose consistent example of Christ, our Lord, inspired us and our children across four decades.
Jay & Piera, missionaries to Italy and Ukraine
To my beloved friend Lou, I will miss the many years of our friendship. I will see you again. Love,
Norma
What a great life lived and what a legacy she leaves! Wish we could be there to celebrate and cry with Andee Jimmy and others.
I am so sorry for the loss of your precious Mother. She was a special person. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Mrs. Lawyer was my 5th grade teacher at Southwest Middle School in 1988. I still to this day can remember how much I loved being in her class. She was the most wonderful lady. I'm so sad to hear of her passing. Looking back she was such a blessing to me. She was stern yet the most compassionate teacher I ever had in school. I know I will see her again one day. Lawyer Family you are in my thoughts and prayers.
God bless
Lou was a dear aunt & friend & I loved her & Virgil - they were especially good to me while I was attending Lubbock Christian College
i KNEW VIRGIL AND LOU FROM MY DAYS AT HARDING COLLEGE IN 1946. JOSEPHINE CLARK AND I ATTENDED THEIR WEDDING IN HILLSBORO, TX AND I REMEMBER HER DADDY CRYING AT THE CEREMONY. THEN I WENT TO WORK IN THE LIBRARY IN 1959 AND SO KNEW THEM WHEN THEY RETURNED FROM JAPAN FOR MANY YEARS. A LOVELY COUPLE WHO COMPLIMENTED EACH OTHER OVER THE YEARS. GOD'S BLESSING TO ALL THE FAMILY.
IN CHRIST,
WINNIE BELL
So sorry for your loss...so thankful for her lifetime of positive contribution.
Blessings to your family ...
My deepest sympathy to Lauren, Andee, Jan and families. Your mother was a wonderful Christian example to so many and her legacy lives in you. My mother attended Harding with your mom and dad. She passed December 2013. Deb Payne
So sorry for the families loss
God bless the family as they morn her passing.
Your mother was Southern Cham Andee.Love to all the family
Our prayers are with this wonderful family. Mrs Lou was such a charming and beautiful Southern lady. She will be missed by many, but her reward will be great.
Such a wonderful, loving, Christian lady. Your family is in our prayers.
Ms. Lawyer embodied a spirit of grace and love. She loved her girls, adored Virgil and celebrated her entire family. As a hostess she treated her guest as a gift. She was an absolute blessing to all.
I taught with Lou at Searcy Elementary. I always thought she was beautiful inside and out. She was a graceful lady.
I'm sorry to hear of the passing of Lou. Her daughter, Lauren, and granddaughter, Blair, are two members of her family who are blessed with her grace and beauty. I know she will be missed.
Sweet Lou raised 3 awesome daughters. Not a better legacy in the universe!
My Aunt Lou was a wonderful person as was her husband Virgil. So sorry for her passing.
Ms. Lawyer was my favorite teacher in the fifth grade. Very lovely lady
Beloved, you all remain in our prayers.
You are all in our prayers.
Mrs. Lawyer was one of my 5th grade teachers that I absolutely loved! She will definitely be missed. Condolences to the family.