Betty Jo Crist

Weslaco - Betty Jo Crist

Betty released her spirit this morning, June 11, 2024.

She was born March 14, 1927, to Eben Thompson and Minnie (Wilson) Thompson in Fort Morgan, Colorado. 

 Betty grew up on her family's farm and ranch on the Platte River, near Goodrich, Colorado, with three brothers, Frank, Tommy, and Marvin, and a younger sister, Helen. She met Bud (John "Bud" Edwin Crist, Sr) while living in Ft. Morgan, where they were married on March 13, 1949. 

 Bud's work as a surveyor, and later for the Bureau of Reclamation, took the two of them on the road where they often moved from town to town throughout Texas and New Mexico. Their first child, Carrie Sue, was born in Raton, New Mexico on May 10, 1953. Betty and Bud had a boy two years later. John Edwin, Jr. was born in Harlingen, Texas on May 10, 1955. The Crist family bought a house in Weslaco, Texas, in 1958, where they raised their family. They had a third child on August 29, 1963, Larry Joe. Bud had become the Bureau Chief for the Rio Grande Valley sector of the Bureau of Reclamation. 

 In the early 1970s, Betty started a small business out of the back of their house called Betty's Ceramics, where she produced molded ceramic figures, taught classes on finishing techniques, and sold a full line of products. Betty's Ceramics thrived for nearly thirty years. 

 In the late 1990s, Bud was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and Betty became Bud's caregiver. In 2005, her daughter, Carrie Sue, was diagnosed with cancer, yet after a year-long fight, she succumbed in November 2005. Three months later, in February 2006, Betty's husband, John E. "Bud" Crist, passed away from complications due to Alzheimer's. Shortly after Bud's passing, Betty was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. 

In November 2012, her youngest son, Larry Joe, moved back home to be Betty's caregiver. Betty, a community pillar, enjoyed making ceramics and painting landscapes with oil paints. She was a very active member of the First Christian Church of Weslaco, where she served as a deaconess. She also enjoyed bowling and participating in her bowling leagues. She immersed herself in researching her family genealogy. She was always quick to help someone in need and strongly believed in God. She made a name for herself in her community through her ceramics and other artworks. Betty was artistically talented and could express that talent on canvas and in clay. 

She is survived by her sister, Helen Bernhardt (Albert); her two sons, Eddie Crist (Cheryl) and Larry Crist; grandchildren Jake Crist, Luke Crist, Matt Crist (Rachel), Courtney Crist, Craig Bellamy (Chantel), Brian Bellamy (Kimberly), and Jamie Bellamy; and great-grandchildren, Nevaeh, Caleb, Clayton, Aubrey, Sydney, Mason, Micah, Reagan, Waylon, Wyatt, Jacey, and June. 

Visitation will be at McCaleb Funeral Home on Thursday, June 20th, from 4-8 pm. A celebration of life will be held on Friday, June 21st, at 10 am at McCaleb Funeral Home in Weslaco, officiated by Dr. Rev. Steven Parker. Burial will follow at Highland Memorial Park. 

Courtney Crist, Matt Crist, Luke Crist, Clayton Crist, Mark Casciato, and Rene Garcia will be pallbearers.