Betty Leavell Wurth

Betty Leavell Wurth passed away at 1:30 p.m. on January 23, 2026, at the Ray and Kay Eckstein Hospice Care Center.  Betty was born on October 26, 1942, to Thomas E. Leavell and Norine Giddle in Mercedes, Texas.  Betty was raised by her dad and stepmother,  Inas Leavell, as well as her dear grandmother, Giddle.  Betty graduated from Stephen F. Austin High School in Austin, Texas.  Betty was a long-time member of St. John’s Catholic Church.  
 
Betty lived a long, beautiful life completely committed and dedicated to her husband of 62 years. Betty met Dick through a friend while he was stationed at Fort Hood Army Base in Texas.  Betty married the year after graduation and came to Kentucky with her husband, Dick, when his military service ended.  Despite living in Kentucky for over 60 years, Betty was always and will always be a Texas girl in her heart and soul.  
 
Betty raised four children as a stay-at-home mom, was a second mom to all the neighborhood kids, and the Girl Scout troops she sponsored through the years. Betty went to work cleaning and cooking for others when her children were teenagers.  She worked at St. Thomas More rectory for several years.  Betty also managed the books and payroll for her husband’s plumbing business, Dick Wurth’s Plumbing.  Betty enjoyed traveling with her husband after their children were grown.  She traveled to the Holy Land on two occasions. Betty also visited Alaska, went out west, enjoyed time on the East Coast, and went on several cruises. Betty loved to reminisce and look through pictures of her travels. Betty also loved being a member of the Lake Girls at their cabin at Kentucky Lake.  She helped plan meals and club get-togethers where her desserts were the first to go.  
 
Betty was an exceptionally fastidious housekeeper and a fantastic cook.  Betty was known for her coconut pies and no holiday will be the same without her hash brown casserole. She loved planting and caring for flowers with her husband.  Betty loved watching hummingbirds and cardinals outside the window.  Feeding the birds was a daily event.  Betty loved to sit on her swing outside and enjoy nature with her husband, Dick.  Betty worked with her husband to plan, build, and decorate their home of 53 years as well as their lake cabin.
 
Betty was a woman of great inner strength. She wasn’t loud or overbearing.  Betty was steady, unshakable, and quietly fierce.  Betty cared for her husband, Dick, through his Alzheimer's diagnosis and when his memory, vision, and hearing began to fail him.  She persevered through her own hearing loss and hospitalizations to be there for her husband.  And when Dick didn’t need her anymore, her work here was done and she quietly and without fanfare went to be by his side.
 
Sweet, sweet Betty was loved so much and will be missed by many.  
 
Betty is survived by three daughters, Lisa Renee Bentley (Joe) of Russellville, Kentucky, Laura Rowland (Mitch) of Bardwell, Tracy Wurth of Paducah; one son, Troy Wurth (Shelia) of Graves County; three sisters, Retha Greeson (Doyle) of Portland, Texas, June Journey of Arkansas, Doris Hoke of North Dakota; one brother, Bill Boyd of Louisiana; 6 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews.
 
She was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, Richard “Dick” Wurth; three brothers, Jim Lilly, Elbert Green, Dwight Green, and her parents.
 
Funeral Mass will be held on Friday, January 30, 2026 at St. John Catholic Church at 11:00 a.m. with Rev. Bruce Fogle officiating. Burial will follow the service at St. John Catholic Church Cemetery.
 
Visitation will be held on Thursday, January 29, 2026, from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the Lone Oak Chapel of Milner & Orr Funeral Home with prayers at 4:30 p.m.
 
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. John Catholic Church, 6705 Old US Highway 45 S, Paducah, KY 42003, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, or Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, 322 Eighth Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10001.   
 
You can leave a message for the family or light a candle at www.milnerandorr.com.