BETTY LOUISE WELLS SWINNEY, 87 of Ranger,
TX passed away March 23, 2026.
Visitation will be held Sunday, Mar. 29th 4~6:00
p.m. Edwards Funeral Home in Ranger. Services will
be held at 10:00 a.m. Monday, March 30th, at the
funeral home with burial following in the Bullock
Cemetery.
Betty was born May 7, 1938 in Ranger to Rudy Lee
Wells & Altie Opal Dempsey. Betty attended early
school years at Bullock School House in Ranger,
later graduating from Ranger High School in the
Class of 1956, continuing her education at Ranger
Jr. College, where she was a member of Ranger Jr.
College Rangerettes Drill Team.
Country girl at heart, being raised on a farm,
she participated in local rodeos and was Ranger
Jaycee Rodeo Queen in 1962-1963. At Ranger Jr.
College, she met and married Dick Fletcher (RJC)
of Morgan, TX in 1957 and began a family. Married
to a pipeline welder with children, she traveled
to many states and obtained many friends and
acquaintances, always returning to Ranger as
home base for the school year.
During her kid's school years, Betty "Boots"
occupied many extra employments; David Pickrell
Insurance, El Rancho Café, elementary school
teachers aid, and in later years an H&R Block
tax preparer.
Boots was a "worker bee", didn't matter what
or where, whether in the house, at work or at
play the color purple was always there. Sometimes
she even dressed the kids in purple! After many
years of oilfield and pipeline, living in places
from Ohio to Louisiana, Boots moved back to the
"home place" in Ranger, to help take care of
granddad.
In 1995, Boots married Johnny Swinney (RHS-1956)
and they "rocking chaired" the last 30 years in
country life and lots of purple. She was a member
of the Lake Leon Baptist Church. Singing praises
to God in her Heavenly mansion, she awaits the
arrival of her loved ones left behind; son, Blaine
Fletcher of Valley Mills; daughter, Belinda Hitchcock
of Covington, OH; step-daughters, Jayne Lewellen of
Granbury, and Janet Swinney of Big Spring; brother,
Johnny Wells (RHS-1963) of Ranger; cousin, Bobby Dale
Dempsey, Ranger; many cousins, nieces and nephews
from everywhere; brothers-in-law, Garland Fletcher
of Lampasas and Daryl Swinney; sisters-in-law, Pat
Lager of Tyler and Diane Swinney and twenty-five
grandchildren, thirty-six great-grandchildren and
two great-great-grandchildren.
Preceded in death by her parents, Rudy and Opal;
husband, Johnny Swinney; son, Rudy Bryan Fletcher
(infant); brothers, Donald Ray Wells (RHS-1955)
and Jimmy Lee Wells (RHS-1959).
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family
in memory of Betty Louise Swinney, please visit their
flower store.