Elizabeth Lou (Hamiliton) Duke

Elizabeth "Betty" Lou Hamilton Duke, one of God’s greatest warriors, went home to her maker on April 6, 2024. Graveside services will be held at 11:30 a.m., Wednesday, April 10, 2024 at Desdemona Cemetery in De Leon, Texas with Levin Ainsworth officiating.

Betty was born and raised in the Sandhills of Nebraska. She fought hard to stay with her remaining family, Ronda James, Risa Ashley, and Russell Duke, along with six grandchildren and eight great grandchildren, but ultimately joined her oldest sons, Randall and Rodney; her husband, Rudolph; and her parents, Alvey and Clara Hamilton in God’s kingdom. Betty was taught the love of music by her father, who played banjo, and accordion.  Together with him and her brother Ken, who played guitar, she played the keyboard and they toured the Sandhills playing barn dances.  (While her baby sister Judy was too young to join the family band at the time, she is currently learning saxophone with her husband at the age of 82.). At 18, Betty moved to Alliance to teach, where she boarded with the sister of her future husband, “the best looking man she’d ever seen.” "Humpy" wooed her from Texas with long letters and she agreed to marry him.  They initially lived a nomadic lifestyle as he worked for Mobil Oil, while welcoming their first three children; then they bought a gas station in Desdemona, and settled in to raise their family.  While Betty pumped gas and fixed flats, Humpy did custom farm work.  After the birth of her last two children, she went to college to get a teaching degree and taught at De Leon ISD for over 20 years, influencing the lives of countless children, while raising her own five. Summers between school years, Betty would load all of her children and drive them to Nebraska to learn about and love the history of her country, family and heritage. After she retired in 1995, she spent the next 10 years volunteering her time playing the keyboard and singing in nursing homes. Betty's ultimate joy, however, was being surrounded by her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.  Her greatest legacy is the love she showed and taught to them all. 

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