Betty Ford

Betty Lou (Heckman) Ford, 85 of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, passed away peacefully December 24, 2016, at Hospice of North Idaho in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho with her children around her after a three year battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She will be sorely missed by family and friends.

Betty was born May 4, 1931 in Dothan, Alabama. She attended school there until she moved with her family to Cheyenne, Wyoming where she graduated from Cheyenne High School in 1949. In high school, she was active in girls’ sports as swimmer, pep club, and a drum majorette in the band. After high school, she worked in Cheyenne at Montgomery Wards and then the Cheyenne Theater until she met Charles A. “Bud” Ford who she married February 14, 1951. After her husband was drafted into the US Army they moved to Fort Hood, Texas. After his discharge from the Army they moved to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho where she lived for the rest of her life. In 1955, Betty and Bud started Ford’s Appliance & TV, where she helped run the store with her focus on book keeping and accounts receivable. Their marriage ended in 1973.

In addition to her time with her family and home, she was employed in a variety of jobs until she realized the community’s need for a medical uniform store, which she started in the early 1980’s. She owned and managed Uniforms Plus until she retired in 1996. In retirement, she traveled, visited her family, worked in her yard and cared for her cats. Her other activities included Beta Sigma Phi, Lady Lions, Queen Esther Chapter OES, Parents without Partners and CdA’s Eagle Auxiliary.

Betty took great pride in her home which she lived in for 57 years. She kept her house, car, flowers, and yard in immaculate condition. Her daughter and son plus her grandchildren were the love of her life.

Betty was preceded in death by her Mother, Inez Heckman; her father, Alfred Heckman, and her brother, Leonard Heckman. She is survived by her daughter, Karen (Bill) Hudson, Prichard, Idaho and Charlie (Ginger) Ford, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. She also leaves behind three grandchildren: Jamie (Bryan) Saalfeld, Leander, Texas; Staci (Tom) Everson, Moscow, Idaho; and Charles K. Ford II, Austin, Texas.

The family would like to thanks the staff of Guardian Angel Homes and Hospice of North Idaho for the superb care given to their mother/grandmother. The immediate family is planning a Celebration of Her Life. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts be donated to the Shriner’s Children Hospital.