Dewhirst, Betty Rae

1921 - 2016  (94 years)

• Name	Dewhirst, Betty Rae
  Birth	13 Oct 1921	Olney, Richland County, Illinois   [1, 2]
  Gender	Female
  Reference Number	DEWH.B001
  _FGRAVE	198325343
  Military Service	World War II, First Lieutenant, Army Nurse Corps, United States Army  [2, 3]
  	Served in the Army Nurse Corps, n-775410. Served April 6, 1943 to January 19, 1946. Participated in North Apennines and Italy Campaigns. Awarded the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Ribbon with 1 battle star. Source: http://www.wwiimemorial.com/Registry/plaque.aspx?honoreeID=1838135
  		United States of America Flag, 48 Stars (1912-1959) In 1912, two stars were added to the United States flag, representing Arizona and New Mexico, bringing the total number of stars to 48. They were arranged in six rows of eight stars each. American fighting men would fight under this flag during four wars: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the beginning of the Vietnam War. (In 1959,…
  		United States Army
  		Betty Rae Dewhirst (1922-2004) with ?
  		United States Army Nurse Corps
  		European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, United States
  		European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, United States
  		World War II (1939-1945)
  		Brochure, World War II Memorial, Flora, Illinois, Nov 11, 2007 On Veterans' Day, 2005, the city of Flora, Illinois dedicated a memorial to all known Clay County, Illinois World War II Veterans. Located on the south side of the city library, this is a copy of the brochure honoring that event. This 2007 brochure adds a matrix for locating the memorial brick that was laid in honor of each veteran. …
  		World War II Honoree, Russell, Betty R. (Dewhirst) (1922-2004)
  Death	28 Sep 2016	Newark, New Castle County, Delawar   [2]
  Burial	Longwood Cemetery, Kennett Square, Chester County, Pennsylvania   [2]
  Person ID	I26939	Carl Wayne Gray Research
  Last Modified	14 Apr 2024

  
  

  Father	Dewhirst, Willard Ray,   b. 24 Aug 1892, Clay County, Illinois d. 25 Apr 1985 (Age 92 years)
  Mother	Dillman, Pearl,   b. 14 Mar 1895, Sailor Springs, Clay County, Illinois d. 4 Mar 1993, Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee (Age 97 years)
  Family ID	F18329	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Russell, Lloyd Byron,   b. 1 Oct 1921   d. 23 Apr 1998 (Age 76 years)
  Family ID	F11586	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	31 Jan 2023

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 13 Oct 1921 - Olney, Richland County, Illinois Burial - - Longwood Cemetery, Kennett Square, Chester County, Pennsylvania  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Notes

  Betty Rae Dewhirst Russell AGE: 94 • Newark Betty Rae Dewhirst Russell peacefully passed away at her home Wednesday September 28, 2016. She was born in 1921 in Olney, Illinois to Willard R. and Pearl Dillman Dewhirst. She was educated in California and Illinois schools and graduated from the DePaul Hospital School of Nursing in St. Louis, Missouri in 1942. In April 1943, Betty reported for active duty in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps and reported to the 70th General Hospital stationed in Longview, Texas. There Betty met Lt. Lloyd B. Russell from Wilmington, Delaware. In August 1943, the unit sailed in convoy from Staten Island, New York to Oran, Algeria in North Africa. Betty and Lloyd were on the same troop ship and soon began dating. In November 1944, they were married in Oran, Algeria, once by the French government and once by an Army chaplain. They served one year in North Africa and one year in Italy before coming home in October 1945. Betty was awarded a Battle Star while serving with the 70th General Hospital in the North Apennines Campaign in Northern Italy in 1945. The Russells moved to Hockessin in 1947. Betty was one of the founders of the Well-Baby Clinic in Hockessin, was active in the PTA, a Den Mother for the Cub Scouts, an American Field Service parent, a 50-year member of the Hockessin Community Club, helped to establish the Hockessin Public Library and Friends of the Hockessin Library, Lamborn Library Association Board member, a member of the Junior Board of Christiana Care and worked many years with the Wilmington Flower Market. Always the volunteer. Betty was more than a 70-year member of First & Central Presbyterian Church in Wilmington where she served as a Deacon, delivered Meals on Wheels and served in the Emmanuel Dining Room. Betty's husband preceded her in death after they celebrated 53 years of marriage. They enjoyed gardening and traveling and visited all 50 states and many foreign countries. Betty and Russ are survived by their children, Lloyd B. "Rink" Russell, Jr. and his wife Mitzi of Hattiesburg, MS, Peter B. Russell and his wife Karen of Osprey, FL, J.D. Russell and his wife Linda of Goshen, IN and Becky Brooks and her husband Terry of Indianapolis, IN. She had ten grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 11:30 am on Saturday October 22, 2016 at First & Central Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, she would appreciate remembering her with gifts to Delaware Hospice, 16 Polly Drummond Center, 2nd Floor, Newark, DE 19711 or First & Central Presbyterian Church, 1101 N. Market Street, Wilmington, DE 19801.

  
  

• Sources

  [S809] Ancestry.com, 1940 United States Federal Census, Clay City, Illinois, (District 13-4) (Township), image 21, page 11a, (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/2442/M-T0627-00769-00087?backurl=https%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.com%2fsearch%2fdb.as) (Reliability: 3). [S15720] (Reliability: 2). [S7605] https://www.wwiimemorial.com/, World War II Honoree, Betty R. Dewhirst Russell, (https://www.wwiimemorial.com/Registry/plaque.aspx?honoreeID=1838135) (Reliability: 2).