Bettye Crider Clem

Bettye's Obituary

Bettye Crider Clem left this world on September 6, 2019, at the age of 88. Having lived her entire life on the same land which her family first settled in 1849, Bettye lived an incredible life full of many, many amazing adventures.

At the age of 9, she was already driving her father’s pick-up truck to the local market to sell wheat and cotton her father grew on the farm. Being quite tall for her age, Bettye was inconspicuous behind the wheel on the rural “pig trails” of Hebron, Texas.

Living in what was, at the time, a remote location, Bettye rode the school bus variously to Plano and Carrollton, always the first one on the school bus in the morning and the last to get off in the evening. What little time there was left in her day was spent doing chores with her father on the farm—milking cows, taking care of lambs, and separating the cream from the bluejohn.

During high school, she met a young man from Carrollton. He pretended that he was interested in her due to the great dove hunting on her land but she knew better. Bettye graduated high school at 16 and started college at North Texas State University. So serious about her education, she informed her beau that he was not allowed to go to the same school as her.

At the urging of the long-time pianist for the Hebron Baptist Church, Bettye started taking piano lessons as a teenager. For all of her college years, she commuted from campus in Denton back to Hebron every weekend to play the Sunday services.

After graduating from North Texas with a degree in Art, with an emphasis in Architecture and Interior Design, Bettye married that beau, Truman Clem, on October 6, 1951. Truman entered the Air Force, and they briefly moved to Wichita Falls until his honorable discharge brought them back to the homestead in Hebron. Bettye went to work as a draughtsman for the civil engineering firm Cooke & Fowler to help support the family while Truman returned to school to become a dentist.

Among many projects, Bettye was especially proud of drawing the final draft of the plans for the water treatment facility for Irving, Texas. Equipped with a fountain pen, protractor, compass and straight edge, it was said that her unmatched perfectionism was the reason that the firm was awarded so many contracts. She finished her early working years at Magnolia Petroleum Company in Downtown Dallas.

Truman became a dentist, and shortly thereafter Bettye gave birth to their first child in 1963, a son named after his father and nicknamed Casey. In 1966, another son named Kelly completed their family. In the meantime, Truman and Bettye embarked on a quest to train a field trial champion, travelling all over the western United States for competition, ultimately succeeding.

Needing a place to keep dogs in the off season, the idea for Toothacres Pet Care Center was born. Opening in 1967, the kennel business grew steadily. In 1979, Bettye founded Toothacres Pet Cemetery. One of her proudest achievements was being elected president of the International Association of Pet Cemeteries.

Bettye traveled the world with Truman, going on countless safaris. Hunts took them all over the United States and Africa, as well as to Australia, New Zealand, Europe and South America. In between globetrotting, Bettye became a highly accomplished trap shooter, competing at meets on most weekends, eventually winning the state championship. Although she loved and cherished all of these adventures with Truman and a very special group of friends, she was always happiest at home on the family land, what is today a registered Texas Century Ranch.

Businesswoman, wife, daughter, mother, and friend, Bettye was loved by all she met. A great matriarch has been lost, signifying the end of an era.

Bettye is preceded in death by her parents George Irvin and Gladys Mae Crider, eldest son Casey, and husband of 64 years, Dr. Truman Clem. She is survived by her son Kelly, daughter-in-law Cara, and granddaughter Mackenzie. She is also survived by her daughter-in-love Lori, and great grandchildren Dustin and Brooke Collins.

Visitation will be at Mulkey-Mason Funeral Home, 740 S Edmonds Lane, Lewisville, Texas, 75067, on Thursday, September 12, from 6:30 to 8:30pm. The service will be held at the First Baptist Church of Hebron, 3000 E Hebron Parkway, Carrollton, Texas, 75010, on Saturday, September 14, at 2:00pm. Graveside service will follow at Furneaux Cemetery, 3701 Cemetery Hill Road, Carrollton, Texas, 75007. A celebration of Bettye’s life will be held at the main Clem house immediately after the interment.