Helen Elizabeth "Betty" Dodson, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother came to know true freedom on Monday, July 4, 2022, when she entered eternal glory. She was born to Carl and Edna Gresham on August 22, 1932, in Lexington, Kentucky.
She had one brother, James "Bobby" Gresham, who preceded her in passing. She married Warren Duncan on June 11, 1949, who also preceded her, and they had four children. Her daughter, Patricia "Patsy" Hebert, has been waiting for her heavenly arrival since January 30, 1985. Her sons, James "Jim" Duncan and wife, Priscilla, and Thomas "Tom" Duncan and wife, Kristi, live in Albuquerque; her daughter, Linda Sue "Susie" Wilkinson and husband, Roger, live in Kalkaska, Michigan. She gained a fifth child, Wendy, when she moved to Bosque Farms and met and married Shelton "Jimmy" Dodson on July 12, 1975. Wendy DeSmet and her husband, Huck, live in Bosque Farms. Jimmy and Betty have 14 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren.
Betty had moved to the Northeast Heights of Albuquerque in 1970, where her cousin, Ann "Annie Roonie" Merriken, lived. She moved to Bosque Farms the next year. Jimmy and Betty built a home in Peralta after traveling back east in a camper for the first few years of marriage, where Jimmy sold Native American jewelry to retail shops. Years later, they built "The Home Place" on some property in the Manzano Mountains and moved to Torreon, but when Jimmy's health issues demanded they be close to medical care, they moved to the northwest valley of Albuquerque. She provided around-the-clock care for him for the last two years of his life. They were married 34 years. He's been waiting for her since March 11, 2009. In 2013, she sold her home in the valley and bought a townhome on the east side. She had finally returned to the Northeast Heights, where she had wanted to be since moving to the Land of Enchantment. She would now be closer to stores and all kinds of shopping.
Betty loved music, and she loved to sing. She took voice lessons as a child and sang soprano in church choirs throughout her life. A few years after moving back to Albuquerque, she joined Young at Heart, a Southern gospel choir. They gave wonderful concerts around the city and traveled to other states as well.
Betty had wanted to be a nurse since childhood, and while still raising four kids in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, she went back to school, attending the Appalachian School of Practical Nursing in Lexington. She passed the state boards and became a licensed practical nurse. Now she could care for the sick and hurting and bring compassion to those beyond her family.
Betty left a legacy of love and kindness. She loved her family and cared for them deeply, not only in word, but in deed. She put their needs above her own. She had a deep relationship with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. She had written in a book about her life that said the spiritual legacy she would like to leave for others was to "stay in church, study your Bible, pray daily, live a good and decent life, and be an example to others." Her life gave glory to God.
A family graveside service was held Tuesday, July 26, 2022, 9:30 a.m., at Sunset Memorial Park, 924 Menaul Boulevard NE.
*All obituaries are submitted by family and friends of the deceased.
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