Betty S. Heifner

Betty Sue Heifner, 85, of Bolivar, MO, went to be with her Lord February 11, 2010. She was born March 24, 1924, in Huntsville, MO to Clarence and Esther Heifner. Betty attended Huntsville schools until her senior year when she moved with her sister Anna Marie to Shenandoah, IA. While completing high school, Betty and Anna sang for many shows on KMA radio. From 1940 to 1945, Betty and Anna, better known as the Heifner Sisters, would sing on countless radio programs in Columbia, MO, Shenandoah, lA, Atlanta, GA, Cincinnati, OH, and St. Louis, MO. Following her radio career, Betty worked for the phone company in Moberly, MO as an operator, saving her money for college. In 1952, Betty graduated from Southwest Baptist College, Bolivar, MO, then a two-year institution. She completed her college education at William Jewell in 1955, receiving a BA in Sociology. Throughout her life, Betty was actively involved in church activities including teaching and leadership roles. Feeling a call to full time Christian service, Betty enrolled in Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. She graduated with a Masters of Religious Education in 1957, the first year women were awarded degrees as well as allowed to live on campus. Upon graduation Betty joined the staff at First Baptist Church in Charlotte, NC as Youth Director. For the next several years she worked in various church staff positions. While serving as Educational Director of Memorial Baptist Church, Columbia, MO, Betty decided to take classes at the University of Missouri. She said it helped her to keep in touch with the education world and the students. Those few classes led her to return to school to work on a Master of Arts in sociology. In 1969 she received her degree and planned to find a job teaching sociology. Southwest Baptist College had recently expanded its curriculum to include sociology as a major, allowing Betty to return to her alma mater. Betty made Bolivar her home for the last 41 years. She taught hundreds of students, helping them better understand their own call to Christian service. She continued to minister through her various leadership roles in the First Baptist Church and served her community on the board of the Polk County Community Center and the Bolivar Sheltered Workshop. Betty is survived by her sister, Anna Marie Miller of Moberly, MO, brother Leland Heifner, Moberly, MO and many loving family members. She was preceded in death by her mother and father. A memorial service will be held at 10:00 AM Friday, Feb. 19, 2010 at Patton Funeral Home, Huntsville. Inurnment will follow in the Huntsville City Cemetery. A second memorial service will be at 10:00 AM Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010 at the Esquire in Bolivar under the direction of Murray Funeral Home, Bolivar. Donations in memory of Betty may be made to the Bolivar Area Community Foundation, c/o Murray Funeral Home, P O Box 506, Bolivar, MO 65613. PDF Printable Version

Betty S. Heifner

March 24, 1924 - February 11, 2010