Betty Jean (Phillips) Coon

Betty Jean Phillips Coon, formerly of Portageville, New Madrid, and Sikeston,  passed away on Aug. 26, 2015, at The Arbors at Auburn Creek Assisted Living Facility in Cape Girardeau where she had been a resident for a brief time.
Born April 14, 1932, in Portageville, she was the daughter of the late Fred Floyd and Mary Jane Brown Phillips.  
On June 15, 1962, she was united in marriage to Arthur W. “Johnny” Coon, who preceded her in death on March 21, 2006.  She is survived by a daughter and granddaughter, Kimberly Jean Grigery and Chelsea Nicole Grigery, both of Cape Girardeau.  
In addition to her immediate family, she is also survived by one sister, Shirley Ann Perry of New Madrid; one stepdaughter, Dianne Compton and her husband, Carroll, of Murray, Ky; two stepgranddaughters, Elizabeth Norris and husband, Chris, of Belleville, Ill., and Jane Ball and husband, Douglas, of Raleigh, N.C.  She is further survived by many nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.  
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by five brothers, Cleatus Phillips, Ragel Phillips, Buddy Phillips, Paul Phillips, and Carl Phillips; and five sisters, Alice Ray, Carlotta Cook, Sylvania LeSieur, Ruth Stewart and Lois Ray.   
Mrs. Coon was a telephone operator until 1963 with Bell Telephone Company and a self-taught, although very accomplished, cook, but her most fulfilling and rewarding role in life was of loving wife to Johnny and loving mother and grandmother to Kim and Chelsea. She excelled in this role and was rewarded with the undying love of her family.  She relocated with her family to Lee’s Summit in September 2005 in order to be there as a support for Chelsea as she attended medical school at UMKC and then again to St. Louis in June 2011, where Chelsea completed her pediatric residency program. Her journey came full circle when she and her family returned to the Southeast Missouri area in June 2014.  She will be greatly missed, but will forever live in our hearts and spirit.   
Burial will follow in the Evergreen Cemetery in New Madrid. 
 

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