With a heavy heart, I announce the passing of my mom, Bettie Faulks — born in Oak Grove, Louisiana, on October 23, 1940. Her family moved to Eureka, California, in 1946. She attended Lincoln and Franklin Elementary Schools in Eureka and graduated from Eureka Senior High in 1958.

She married Don Faulks in June 1958. Together, they made their home on Cummings Road in Eureka, in a house she designed. The house was completed in late 1960. By that time, she was a mother and pregnant with baby #2.

During this period, local lumber mills gave lumber on loan to build houses. Once completed, you would go to the bank to get a loan to pay the mill back for the lumber. Her story was that, as a minor — a woman under the age of 21 — she couldn’t apply for the loan, even though she was married and handled the finances. She told the bank manager, “I pounded the nails and helped build the house, but I need to have my husband come in?”

Her legacy was her family. She was more than a housewife — very active in the Freshwater community as we kids were growing up. She was involved in Blue Birds, 4-H, Webelos, Boy Scouts, and youth sports.

Summer vacations were spent traveling to the Bay Area to pick up Don’s daughters, who spent summers with the family. Many of those summers were also spent at Trinity Lake.

Always eager to further her education, she took night classes at College of the Redwoods in accounting. In the mid-1970s, she completed real estate courses and obtained her realtor’s license. By the 1980s, she went to work at Eureka Oxygen as a bookkeeper. They retired in 1983, bought a motorhome, and began traveling. They would go to Yuma, Arizona, in the winter to escape the rain in Northern California.

Always wanting to know her history, she started actively researching her roots which entailed going to the library and searching on microfiche.. She and Don traveled back to Mississippi and Louisiana so she could do further research into her heritage.

After Don passed away, she met Glen Reed. Together they traveled as she always wanted to go to Hawaii. They went on an Alaskan cruise and a trip with her brother and sister-in-law to their cabin in Canada.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Don Faulks; son, Don Faulks Jr.; stepdaughter, Sandy Faulks-Moller; brother, Jesse Grammer; her parents, Ray and Susie Grammer; and her long-time partner, Glen Reed.

She is survived by her brother, Johnny Grammer (Beverly); daughter, Nora LeAnn Doyle (John); stepdaughter, Debbie Kennedy (Tim); five grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; one great-great-granddaughter; and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held on August 16th at her home. The family wishes to express their sincere gratitude to the staff at St. Joseph Hospital, including the palliative care nurses and her doctor. A special thank-you to her neighbors Joyce and Jeff Woodard, and Ron and Sarah Owens, for looking after Bettie these past few years.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society. Interment will be at Oceanview Cemetery.