Betty Jean Garringer

Betty Jean (Woods) Garringer passed away peacefully on August 1, 2026, at Westminster Village, Muncie, Indiana. She was born May 16, 1935, in Portland, Tennessee, to William E. and Luella E. (Whitson) Woods. She was the first of their four children. Moving to Indiana at age seven, first to Frankton, Elwood, Alexandria, and then to Anderson, where she met her husband, Jimmie Garringer, at Bethel Methodist Church.

She attended schools in all of these towns, ending at Anderson High School. She spent time at Ball State and received a sewing educator certificate from Purdue University.

She co-owned and co-operated many business ventures with her husband of 67 years, including real estate in Anderson, variety stores, fabric/sewing/sweeper stores, and Jim’s Lake in Gaston. She retired in 1997 from Marion Sewing Machine and Vacuum in Marion, Indiana.

She loved to travel, took many wonderful vacations to 15 countries and nearly every US state, including Alaska and Hawaii. She especially enjoyed motor home trips and cruises. She was an avid sewer. She called her business her “hobby jobs”. She began sewing projects at the age of nine and continued until recently, including with her great-grandchildren. She always had a project going. She won many awards for her sewing and many prizes for sales of sewing machines and vacuums.

She married Jimmie Garringer on July 1, 1951, in Anderson, Indiana, where they resided, and were blessed with a daughter, Vickie, and son, Robert. Moving briefly to La Porte, Indiana, and back to Anderson, they settled in Gaston at Jim’s Lake in 1965. Upon retirement, they returned to Anderson briefly and then to Muncie in 2012 to be near their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. After the death of the love of her life, Betty fell in love again and was briefly married to Jerome Henning before his passing on March 6, 2024.

Betty is survived by her daughter, Vickie L. Mitchell (husband, Larry) of Muncie; son, Robert S. Garringer (wife, Barbara) of Muncie/Peoria, Arizona; grandchildren, James Arrick Garringer (wife, Stacy) of Farmland, Audra, M. Koontz (partner, Benjamin Bryan) of Gaston, Jacob, W. Mitchell (wife, Macey) of Gaston, Jennifer L Lombard (husband, Christian) of Muncie and Sarah, K. Parker (husband, Dustin) of Gaston; great-grandchildren, Baxter Isaac Garringer, Theodore Ray Garringer, Rozzie May Garringer, Juniper Violet Koontz (partner, Ella Haan), Izabella Presley Russell (husband, Nathan), Isaac Jacob Mitchell, Lynden Carter Mitchell, Rutledge Moab Mitchell, Ryder Ray Mitchell, Luke Williams Powers, Emery Lynn Lombard, Annabelle Catherine Parker, Harrison George Parker and Iyla Rose Parker; a brother, Bill A. Woods of Noblesville and baby sister, Sandra Cates (husband, Phillip) of Charleston, South Carolina. She has many wonderful nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

She was preceded in death by her loving husband, Jimmie; her second husband, Jerome; her brother, Melvin "Woody" Woods; her sister-in-law, Joyce Woods; her mother and father; one great-grandchild and many wonderful aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.

Friends and family may call on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm at Loose Funeral Homes & Crematory, 200 West 53rd Street, Anderson, Indiana, 46013.

The funeral service will follow visitation at 6:00 pm at the funeral home with Betty's son-in-law Larry Mitchell officiating.

A graveside service and burial will take place on Thursday, August 6, 2026, at 12:00 pm at Anderson Memorial Park Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Gideons International.