Betty J. Shirley (Appleby)

Shirley, Betty Jean (Appleby), age 90 of Kettering, Ohio, died peacefully early in the morning of Friday, September 24, 2021 t Hospice of Dayton, following a month long hospitalization. She was born in Louisville,KY on May 30, 1931 to Roy and Daisy Appleby. She attended high school in Louisville. Betty married US Army Sgt. Donald Spicer in 1951. They started their married life in Trieste, Italy where their children, Donna Jean and Roy Robert were born. She was widowed in 1954 when her husband was killed in a car accident in Italy. Betty then worked as a secretary at Fort Knox, KY, supporting herself and her two young children. There, she met US Army Captain Harold C. "Mike" Hughes. Betty and Mike had two more children- Michael Joseph and Patrick John. While serving with her husband as a military spouse, Betty moved four children and their household goods more than a dozen times, including 2, two year tours in Tehran, Iran. She loved being part of the US Army's military family, and everything that came with that life. She loved the travel and all the experiences that came with it. Betty and Mike moved to Fairborn, OH in 1966 when Mike retired from the Army and started work in government service at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Ohio became a welcome home base for the Hughes family.

In January of 1981, Betty was widowed again when Mike died of pancreatic cancer. She moved to Florida at that time and lived in the Cocoa Beach area, working to get her realtor's license. She moved to Florida and loved everything about living by the ocean. After several years in Florida, Betty moved back to the Dayton area to be near family. It was there that she met and married (December 24, 1990) Richard "Tex" Shirley. Betty and Richard moved to Seoul, Korea where both worked with Department of Defense schools for 5 years. They then serviced for two years in Rota, Spain where Richard worked for Department of Defense schools. Betty was able to indulge her love of travel and new experience with trips to Europe, Japan and Northern Africa using Seoul, Korea and Rota, Spain as her home bases. After several years abroad, Betty and Richard returned to the USA and settled in Kettering, OH, again, to be near family. In December of 2015, they celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.

Betty is preceded in death by her parents, Daisy and Roy Appleby, her husband, Donald Ray Spicer, her husband, Harold C. "Mike" Hughes, her mother in law, Mina Lortscher, her mother in law, Julia Pflugbeil Hughes, her brother, Win Appleby, her daughter, Pamela Adkison and her grandson, Jesse Ryan Coleman.

She is survived by her husband , Richard "Tex" Shirley, her sister in law, Rosalee Appleby, her children, Shelley Hughes Crews, Donna Spicer Hughes Coleman (Kenneth), Roy Robert Spicer Hughes (Betty Jo), Michael Hughes (Kristen), Patrick Hughes (Allison), step-children, Giovanna Schnable (Mark) and Richard "Rick" Shirley (Dawn), grandchildren, Niccole Moore Shepherd, Rob Crews, Candice Adkison, Heather Adkison, Clara Coleman, Kathryn Hughes, Rebecca Hughes, John Hughes, and Jordan Hughes and many great grandchildren. She is also survived by nieces, Betty Appleby, Latara Appleby and nephews, David Appleby and Richard Appleby, and by many great nieces and nephews.

A family celebration of Betty's Life will be held on a date to be determined. Flowers are always welcome but you can also send your kind remembrances in Betty's memory to Hospice of Dayton, The Humane Society of Greater Dayton and to Wright State University's Department of Fine Arts, Theatre, Dance and Motion Pictures.

To share a memory of Betty or to leave a special message for her family, please visit the guestbook below.