Betty Sue Leeman of Chelsea, age 76, died Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021 at her home with her family at her side, after a decade-long battle with myelodysplastic syndrome.
She was born Dec. 18, 1944 in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, the daughter of Wilbert and Grace Viola (Johnston) Gates.
Betty graduated from Wynnewood High School in 1962. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma School of Nursing in 1965. Betty then went on to graduate from the US Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine in Texas as a flight nurse, and she served in the Oklahoma Air National Guard.
Betty married Steve Leeman in Oklahoma City in 1967, and they moved to Manchester, MI where they owned a Dairy Queen. She served as an emergency room nurse in Oklahoma, at Chelsea Community Hospital, and at the University of Michigan for over 40 years. Betty earned her BSN from U of M in 1995 and became trauma certified.
She participated in the Chelsea Area Players and the Chelsea Lioness Club. Betty was a former member of Chelsea First United Methodist Church and North Lake United Methodist Church. She enjoyed watching sports with her cousin, Dave Scriven. Betty loved to travel and spend time with her grandkids, especially up North on the Platte River and in Oklahoma.
The family will receive friends at Cole Funeral Chapel on Tuesday, Jan. 12. Due to Covid restrictions, please call 734-475-1551 to schedule a time to greet the family. A private funeral service will be held Wednesday, Jan. 13, with Rev. Kathy Schell officiating. Burial will follow at Oak Grove Cemetery, Chelsea.
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