1928
Betty
2020
Betty Estelle Kirby
January 28, 1928 — December 5, 2020
Betty Estelle Kirby January 28, 1928 - December 5, 2020
Betty Estelle Kirby, affectionately known by her grand and great grandchildren as Granny "K" and "Beautiful", was born on January 28, 1928 to Lott Fernon and Violet Charlesworth Sanford in Craig, Colorado and passed away peacefully on December 5, 2020 in her daughter's home in Taft, California, where she had resided for the past twelve years. She was 92 years old. She was the sixth of eleven.
Mom was preceded in death by her parents, Lott and Violet Sandford; her husband, Norval Kirby; her brothers and their wives, Carl and Pearl Sandford, Lester Sanford, Vern Sandford, Vell Sanford, George and Charlene Sanford and Delbert; her sisters, Rada Fleming and Vera Bagley and her grandson Forrest Eugene Meeks.
She is survived by her daughter, Paula Meeks and husband Gene; 5 grandchildren; sons Shea Meeks and wife Jackie, Lonn Meeks, Tye Meeks and wife Bonnie; daughters, Keely Lopez and Lacey and her husband Jeffrey James; her 17 great grandchildren, Alyssa, Brenden, Clayton, Dalaney, Maegan, Tori, Aeslie, Khalei, Kendly, Leila, Hunter, Hailee, Dawson, Bradyn Kessler, Parker and Wester; 2 great-great grandchildren, Julian and Addaline; 2 sisters, Tess Johannes and Donna King; 3 sisters-in-law, Francey, Joan and Christine and 1 brother-in-law, Richard Bagley. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews she loved dearly.
Mom grew up on a ranch in Colorado. She loved living on the ranch and said it was a happy time in her life. She had a little pony she named pet and she would pull her up to the fence and climb onto her back and take off riding. She would go to school in a one room schoolhouse. She and her siblings would toboggan in the winter months, swim and fish in Deer Creek in the summer. They made their own toys and fishing poles.
In 1938 her family would move out to California, first to Oakland, then several other moves until they settled for a while in Greeley, California. There she went to school until she graduated 8th grade and then went to Kern County Union High School. She graduated from there in 1947. She began working for Sears as a salesclerk and then in the cashier's office. She would marry ken E. Kennon in April of 1951 and together they had a daughter, Paula Shereene. She would call her daughter "her one and only". That marriage ended in divorce and she and her daughter went home to live with her parents who were now living in Bakersfield. She went to work for Pacific Bell Telephone Company and worked there for 14 years.
She met and married Norval Kirby on May 5th, 1960 and would live in the Bakersfield area for 17 years before they moved to Roseburg, Oregon in 1977. Mom loved living up there. She loved fishing and many a day she and Norval would go and fish the many rivers or take their boat out on the lakes to fish. After 12 years they decided to get closer to family and moved back to Bakersfield, where she lived until August of 2008 when she came to live with her daughter in Taft, California. She would be in Taft 12 years.
Mom was an active member in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She served as a visiting teacher, Primary teacher and in the Young Women's organization. She was a member of the Women's Relief Society organization and loved that association with the ladies. She served diligently and strived to magnify each of her callings. Her most loved calling was working as a Temple worker in the Seattle Washington Tempe for two years and then serving another 5 years in the Los Angeles Temple after she and Norval moved back to Bakersfield. She found great peace, solace and joy in doing the Lord's work there. Mom enjoyed camping, fishing, golfing, bowling, doing crafts and at 92 still loved to dance.
As matriarch of her family she was a wonderful example to all her grand and great grandchildren. She loved each one dearly and they loved her. Family was everything to her. She would always say, "I feel so blessed to have the family I do". This was to include her siblings and their children. She will be missed by each of us and all the friends she made along the way.
I would like to thank Bristol Hospice for the short but loving service hey offered to my mom in her final days
Betty Estelle Kirby, affectionately known by her grand and great grandchildren as Granny "K" and "Beautiful", was born on January 28, 1928 to Lott Fernon and Violet Charlesworth Sanford in Craig, Colorado and passed away peacefully on December 5, 2020 in her daughter's home in Taft, California, where she had resided for the past twelve years. She was 92 years old. She was the sixth of eleven.
Mom was preceded in death by her parents, Lott and Violet Sandford; her husband, Norval Kirby; her brothers and their wives, Carl and Pearl Sandford, Lester Sanford, Vern Sandford, Vell Sanford, George and Charlene Sanford and Delbert; her sisters, Rada Fleming and Vera Bagley and her grandson Forrest Eugene Meeks.
She is survived by her daughter, Paula Meeks and husband Gene; 5 grandchildren; sons Shea Meeks and wife Jackie, Lonn Meeks, Tye Meeks and wife Bonnie; daughters, Keely Lopez and Lacey and her husband Jeffrey James; her 17 great grandchildren, Alyssa, Brenden, Clayton, Dalaney, Maegan, Tori, Aeslie, Khalei, Kendly, Leila, Hunter, Hailee, Dawson, Bradyn Kessler, Parker and Wester; 2 great-great grandchildren, Julian and Addaline; 2 sisters, Tess Johannes and Donna King; 3 sisters-in-law, Francey, Joan and Christine and 1 brother-in-law, Richard Bagley. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews she loved dearly.
Mom grew up on a ranch in Colorado. She loved living on the ranch and said it was a happy time in her life. She had a little pony she named pet and she would pull her up to the fence and climb onto her back and take off riding. She would go to school in a one room schoolhouse. She and her siblings would toboggan in the winter months, swim and fish in Deer Creek in the summer. They made their own toys and fishing poles.
In 1938 her family would move out to California, first to Oakland, then several other moves until they settled for a while in Greeley, California. There she went to school until she graduated 8th grade and then went to Kern County Union High School. She graduated from there in 1947. She began working for Sears as a salesclerk and then in the cashier's office. She would marry ken E. Kennon in April of 1951 and together they had a daughter, Paula Shereene. She would call her daughter "her one and only". That marriage ended in divorce and she and her daughter went home to live with her parents who were now living in Bakersfield. She went to work for Pacific Bell Telephone Company and worked there for 14 years.
She met and married Norval Kirby on May 5th, 1960 and would live in the Bakersfield area for 17 years before they moved to Roseburg, Oregon in 1977. Mom loved living up there. She loved fishing and many a day she and Norval would go and fish the many rivers or take their boat out on the lakes to fish. After 12 years they decided to get closer to family and moved back to Bakersfield, where she lived until August of 2008 when she came to live with her daughter in Taft, California. She would be in Taft 12 years.
Mom was an active member in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She served as a visiting teacher, Primary teacher and in the Young Women's organization. She was a member of the Women's Relief Society organization and loved that association with the ladies. She served diligently and strived to magnify each of her callings. Her most loved calling was working as a Temple worker in the Seattle Washington Tempe for two years and then serving another 5 years in the Los Angeles Temple after she and Norval moved back to Bakersfield. She found great peace, solace and joy in doing the Lord's work there. Mom enjoyed camping, fishing, golfing, bowling, doing crafts and at 92 still loved to dance.
As matriarch of her family she was a wonderful example to all her grand and great grandchildren. She loved each one dearly and they loved her. Family was everything to her. She would always say, "I feel so blessed to have the family I do". This was to include her siblings and their children. She will be missed by each of us and all the friends she made along the way.
I would like to thank Bristol Hospice for the short but loving service hey offered to my mom in her final days
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