Betty Ann
Coon, our dearly beloved wife and mother passed away peacefully on March 7,
2015 at age 64 after a six month fight with brain cancer. We are comforted that she was welcomed by her
loving Father in heaven and her own father and mother whom have gone before
her.
Betty was
born on February 28, 1951 to Robert L. and Willa E. Drake in Artesia,
California. At 8 years old, she moved to
Boise with her family where she lived out the rest of her life. She was an active Girl Scout and excelled at
all she set her mind to. She graduated
from Borah High School in 1969, attended Boise State University earning a
degree in special education. She married
Delbert Coon on August 8, 1975 and in April of 1976, the couple was blessed
with the birth of their only son, Jason.
Betty found
her calling in special education. She
worked in a home bound program with the Meridian School District followed by
several fulfilling years at Nampa High School helping special needs
teenagers. Her greatest professional joy
came as a special education teacher at Middleton Middle School at which she
spent nearly 20 years. Betty was a
meticulous hard worker and loved helping children with special needs. She strongly believed in the hidden potential
inside every child and worked diligently to help them achieve a high quality of
life. More often than not, Betty would
be the last teacher to leave school because she would have spent extra time to
personally help a child.
Betty’s
father died on her birthday when she was 14 years old. For the remainder of her mother’s life she
was a devoted and conscientious daughter. She and Delbert even bought a home on
the same street. She enjoyed a close
relationship with the Lord in Heaven and was a member of various
non-denominational churches over the years.
She believed in scripture, prayer and was unafraid at the end. Betty was
quick to smile, slow to anger and chuckled at the ironies of life. She loved nature, animals and quiet times for
contemplation and prayer.
Betty was
preceded in death by her father, Robert Drake and her mother, Willa Drake and
her infant brother, Glenn Drake.
Betty is
survived by her husband of 40 years, Delbert L. Coon and her son, Jason William
Coon. She is also survived by her
sister, Carol Hightower, her brother, William Drake and his wife, Leslie, plus
many nieces and nephews. The family
gives special thanks to the men and women of The Healing Room. Memorial donations are appreciated to the
Mission Aviation Fellowship in Nampa, Idaho.
Funeral
services will be held Saturday, March 14, 2015 at 1:30pm at Alden Waggoner
Funeral Chapel, 5400 Fairview, Boise. A
grave side dedication will be held on Monday, March 16
th
at 11:00am
at Dry Creek Cemetery.