Sara Faye Betterton went home to be with the Lord Jesus Christ on December 25, 2025. Sara was preceded in death by her parents, John and Alva Blankenship, husband Don Sr., and sister Betty Dodge. Sara leaves behind her daughter Jeanmarie Sparks (husband Cecil), grandson Adam Macey and his wife, Sophie, and their children Ezra, Levi, Asher, and Eden. She also leaves behind her son Don Jr. and his wife, Tiffany, and their children Sara Truhitte (husband Daniel, and children Sophia, Anastasia, Lucia, Xenia, and Euphemia), Jeffrey Jolly (wife Tristen, and children John, Abram, and Isaiah), Jacob Jolly (wife Alexis, and children Ava and Clara), and Julia French (husband Joel, and children Elijah and Annie). She was a beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.
Sara always said she was a native Texan- not! Sara Faye Blankenship Betterton, was born to John Holland and Alva Blankenship February 28, l938 in Atlanta, GA. They didn’t stay there long and moved to Houston, TX about six months later; it was where they belonged. Sara attended Thomas Jefferson Elementary, Hogg Junior High, Jefferson Davis High School, and graduated from Spring Branch High School in l955.
She married the love of her life in l959, Donald Ray Betterton, whom she had known since grade school-they both took piano lessons from the same teacher in Lindale. They ran into each other in l958 right after Don was discharged from the Navy (Seabees) and it was love at second sight. They saw each other every day thereafter until their marriage five months later, February 21, 1959.
They shared many adventures, seeing the sights of the USA by car, boat, RV, and private plane. Don received his pilot’s license in l970 and they bought their first plane ten years later. After, they and their two children, Jeanmarie and Don Jr. (better known as Jeanna and Son) moved to Friendswood. They had lived on a small acreage for ten years, surrounded by what would become The Woodlands. This was a long roundtrip drive to the HL&P main offices downtown. When Don was named head of Engineering, they started looking for a home closer to the temporary Engineering offices off Almeda Rd and the Gulf Freeway.
They found it in Friendswood, a great place to live their next twenty-five years. It would turn out to be very special. Their Polly Ranch neighborhood surrounded its own private airstrip and they began flying in earnest. They owned a number of Beechcraft planes over the years; Musketeer, Sierra, A-36 Bonanza, and, finally, a twin engine Baron. Don was a gifted pilot and Sara a natural cartologist. She handled the various radio settings per the maps or as tower or air traffic controllers required. It was great fun for them both. Flying in a private plane with Don as pilot was her favorite way to travel. They took friends on weekend trips to Bayou Country and Natchez, Mississippi. Stopping overnight in Lafayette for Mulatte’s crawfish Étouffée and watching the Cajun dancers was a favorite memory for the Bettertons and the couples who went along for the ride and the fun..
Sara was always a joiner and leader. She joined the Girl Scouts at eleven and then became a Rainbow Girl (Masonic sponsored organization for girls) at fourteen. She finished out her Rainbow career with Assembly at seventeen as the immediate past Worthy Advisor. During her working career, she was a member of Theta Sigma Phi, Houston Professional Chapter, and served as president there and several times as chairman of the Ladies of the Press Breakfast. Additionally, she was president of the Houston
Professional Chapter of the International Association of Business Communications- the first woman president in its long history. After moving to Friendswood, she twice served as president of the Heritage Gardeners where she was tasked with the job of acquiring a property and leading the club in purchasing and setting up the full ownership for the club’s permanent residence in an early nineteenth century wood frame home in need of restoration, which she oversaw. It became the Marie Workman Garden Center and the Ed and Ruby Briscoe Gardens in Friendswood where people would gather for all occasions for many years to come and is still operating today in the same location. After moving from Friendswood to Kerrville in 2005, she was involved in Kerrville’s Christian Assistance Ministry until her husband’s death in 2017. From there she moved to Parker, TX with her son to be near family, and later with her granddaughter, Sara, in Lavon, TX, where she was surrounded by Sara’s five girls having a grand time. Sara spent her last few years in Austin, Temple, and Georgetown before she went peacefully home to be with the Lord.
Services
Graveside Service
Wed. Jan. 7, 2026
2:00 pm
Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery
6900 Lawndale Avenue
Houston , TX 77023.
Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery
Houston , TX 77023.
Sara Faye Betterton went home to be with the Lord Jesus Christ on December 25, 2025. Sara was preceded in death by her parents, John and Alva Blankenship, husband Don Sr., and sister Betty Dodge. Sara leaves behind her daughter Jeanmarie Sparks (husband Cecil), grandson Adam Macey and his wife, Sophie, and their children Ezra, Levi, Asher, and Eden. She also leaves behind her son Don Jr. and his wife, Tiffany, and their children Sara Truhitte (husband Daniel, and children Sophia, Anastasia, Lucia, Xenia, and Euphemia), Jeffrey Jolly (wife Tristen, and children John, Abram, and Isaiah), Jacob Jolly (wife Alexis, and children Ava and Clara), and Julia French (husband Joel, and children Elijah and Annie). She was a beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.
Sara always said she was a native Texan- not! Sara Faye Blankenship Betterton, was born to John Holland and Alva Blankenship February 28, l938 in Atlanta, GA. They didn’t stay there long and moved to Houston, TX about six months later; it was where they belonged. Sara attended Thomas Jefferson Elementary, Hogg Junior High, Jefferson Davis High School, and graduated from Spring Branch High School in l955.
She married the love of her life in l959, Donald Ray Betterton, whom she had known since grade school-they both took piano lessons from the same teacher in Lindale. They ran into each other in l958 right after Don was discharged from the Navy (Seabees) and it was love at second sight. They saw each other every day thereafter until their marriage five months later, February 21, 1959.
They shared many adventures, seeing the sights of the USA by car, boat, RV, and private plane. Don received his pilot’s license in l970 and they bought their first plane ten years later. After, they and their two children, Jeanmarie and Don Jr. (better known as Jeanna and Son) moved to Friendswood. They had lived on a small acreage for ten years, surrounded by what would become The Woodlands. This was a long roundtrip drive to the HL&P main offices downtown. When Don was named head of Engineering, they started looking for a home closer to the temporary Engineering offices off Almeda Rd and the Gulf Freeway.
They found it in Friendswood, a great place to live their next twenty-five years. It would turn out to be very special. Their Polly Ranch neighborhood surrounded its own private airstrip and they began flying in earnest. They owned a number of Beechcraft planes over the years; Musketeer, Sierra, A-36 Bonanza, and, finally, a twin engine Baron. Don was a gifted pilot and Sara a natural cartologist. She handled the various radio settings per the maps or as tower or air traffic controllers required. It was great fun for them both. Flying in a private plane with Don as pilot was her favorite way to travel. They took friends on weekend trips to Bayou Country and Natchez, Mississippi. Stopping overnight in Lafayette for Mulatte’s crawfish Étouffée and watching the Cajun dancers was a favorite memory for the Bettertons and the couples who went along for the ride and the fun..
Sara was always a joiner and leader. She joined the Girl Scouts at eleven and then became a Rainbow Girl (Masonic sponsored organization for girls) at fourteen. She finished out her Rainbow career with Assembly at seventeen as the immediate past Worthy Advisor. During her working career, she was a member of Theta Sigma Phi, Houston Professional Chapter, and served as president there and several times as chairman of the Ladies of the Press Breakfast. Additionally, she was president of the Houston
Professional Chapter of the International Association of Business Communications- the first woman president in its long history. After moving to Friendswood, she twice served as president of the Heritage Gardeners where she was tasked with the job of acquiring a property and leading the club in purchasing and setting up the full ownership for the club’s permanent residence in an early nineteenth century wood frame home in need of restoration, which she oversaw. It became the Marie Workman Garden Center and the Ed and Ruby Briscoe Gardens in Friendswood where people would gather for all occasions for many years to come and is still operating today in the same location. After moving from Friendswood to Kerrville in 2005, she was involved in Kerrville’s Christian Assistance Ministry until her husband’s death in 2017. From there she moved to Parker, TX with her son to be near family, and later with her granddaughter, Sara, in Lavon, TX, where she was surrounded by Sara’s five girls having a grand time. Sara spent her last few years in Austin, Temple, and Georgetown before she went peacefully home to be with the Lord.
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