Obituary of Betty June Pursley McCleskey

Betty June Pursley McCleskey, a loving wife and mother, went home to be with her Lord on February 27, 2024, at the age of 88. Betty June is survived by her son Kenneth Leon McCleskey, Jr. She was preceded in death by her husband, Kenneth Leon McCleskey, Sr., by her father, William Dera Pursley, her mother, Essie Lou Crowley Pursley, and twin sister, Billy Jean Pursley.

Born on September 16, 1935 in Fort Worth, Texas, Betty June and her twin sister, Billy Jean, were born three months premature and her sister died in infancy on December 20, 1935. Betty June graduated from Fort Worth Paschal High School and afterward worked as a sales associate and a buyer for the downtown Fort Worth Striplings department store.

In 1968, Betty June met the love of her life, Kenneth at Travis Avenue Baptist Church. They were married on May 29, 1969, in Fort Worth, Texas. Their only son, Kenneth, Jr., was born the following year, in May 1970.

Betty June loved the Lord and together with Kenneth gave a lifetime of faithful service to their church and community, teaching kindergarten Sunday School for 25 years, visiting and praying with those in the hospital, and serving as volunteers on several church ministry committees, including Intercessory Prayer, Baptismal, and Lord’s Supper. She also was a member of the Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) at Travis and the church Teller committee for many years.

Betty June was a loving, faithful wife to Kenneth and a loving and devoted mother to Kenneth, Jr. She was involved in and always supportive of Kenneth, Jr.’s activities throughout his school years and continuously showed her love for Kenneth and Kenneth, Jr., by always placing their needs ahead of her own. Betty June was kind, caring, and had a delightful sense of humor. She was also a very strong woman who unwaveringly defended herself and her loved ones against being treated unfairly. Her kindness shined through to everyone she met and along with Kenneth, she touched countless lives in their ministries at Travis.

In 2012, when Kenneth began to suffer from dementia, Betty June became his primary caregiver and provided extraordinary loving, selfless care and support to him during his illness. After Kenneth had to be placed in a long-term memory care facility in 2018, Betty June was faithfully by his side the full day each day, assisting him with his meals and providing constant loving companionship. In more recent years, she had suffered her own physical decline, but showed great spirit and strength in her efforts to overcome all setbacks. 

A true role model, Betty June was a loving, giving, Christian wife and mother. She will be deeply missed for all of the goodness she brought into the world and her memory will be cherished always by her son and all whose lives she touched.

Funeral Service: 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at Travis Avenue Baptist Church.  

Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m., one hour prior to the service.

Interment: Mount Olivet Cemetery.