Obituary for Betty Willmon Niedoroda
Dr. Betty Willmon Niedoroda passed away at the Big Bend Hospice early Monday morning. She was born on October 2nd in Memphis, Tennessee, many years ago. As a child she moved first to Benton, Arkansas and a few years later to Quincy, Florida. She is a proud graduate of Quincy High School where she competed and won several essay contests.
Betty has been a lady of the epochs traced by the ongoing history of our society. In the 50’s and early 60’s county fairs and beauty contest were common. This soft-spoken young lady was acknowledged for her talents and beauty winning a long series of contests to become Quincy’s Tobacco Festival Queen, Miss Deep South in the Thomasville Rose Show, Fort Walton’s Northwest Florida Beauty Queen and she was maid of honor in the Winter Haven Citrus competition. She also became a Florida State University Homecoming Queen.
As the epochs changed to the 1960’s, women became more interested in their own development. After teaching at the public school level in West Palm Beach for a couple of years Betty returned to the College of Education at FSU to earn a PhD in Elementary Education and to join the faculty.
It was then that she met Alan Niedoroda who accepted a position on the faculty of the University of Massachusetts. They married in 1973 and moved to Amherst. For the next several years Betty joined the faculty of several colleges including Springfield College, Westfield State College, U Mass, and University of Hartford. After moving to Houston Texas with Alan in the late 1970’s she joined the faculty of the University of Houston. It was during this time that she befriended Norma Avendanu, a young student who she coached. As the years went on Norma married Altero Flores and they named their first daughter Betty. She and Alan became young Betty’s godparents. Since then they have become godparents to Mauricio and Arestelli Flores. The Niedorodas have no children of their own. They have travelled extensively through Europe, Asia and South America.
Betty and Alan moved to Gainesville in the late 1980’s and have been back in Tallahassee since 1991. Betty is a member of the First Baptist Church of Quincy, the Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority, the Delta Kappa Gamma Educational Society and has been active in the Tallahassee Literary Club, the Towne Club, Friends of Lake Jackson and Springtime Tallahassee.
Funeral services will be held at the First Baptist Church Chapel of Quincy (210 W. Washington St.) on Saturday, October 5, 2019, with the visitation at 10:30 and service at 11:30. Lunch will be served followed by a grave-side gathering. The family requests that donations be made to the Big Bend Hospice (1723 Mahan Center Blvd, Tallahassee, FL 32308) instead of flowers.
Charles McClellan Funeral Home, Quincy, FL., 850-627-7677, is in charge of arrangements.
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Betty has been a lady of the epochs traced by the ongoing history of our society. In the 50’s and early 60’s county fairs and beauty contest were common. This soft-spoken young lady was acknowledged for her talents and beauty winning a long series of contests to become Quincy’s Tobacco Festival Queen, Miss Deep South in the Thomasville Rose Show, Fort Walton’s Northwest Florida Beauty Queen and she was maid of honor in the Winter Haven Citrus competition. She also became a Florida State University Homecoming Queen.
As the epochs changed to the 1960’s, women became more interested in their own development. After teaching at the public school level in West Palm Beach for a couple of years Betty returned to the College of Education at FSU to earn a PhD in Elementary Education and to join the faculty.
It was then that she met Alan Niedoroda who accepted a position on the faculty of the University of Massachusetts. They married in 1973 and moved to Amherst. For the next several years Betty joined the faculty of several colleges including Springfield College, Westfield State College, U Mass, and University of Hartford. After moving to Houston Texas with Alan in the late 1970’s she joined the faculty of the University of Houston. It was during this time that she befriended Norma Avendanu, a young student who she coached. As the years went on Norma married Altero Flores and they named their first daughter Betty. She and Alan became young Betty’s godparents. Since then they have become godparents to Mauricio and Arestelli Flores. The Niedorodas have no children of their own. They have travelled extensively through Europe, Asia and South America.
Betty and Alan moved to Gainesville in the late 1980’s and have been back in Tallahassee since 1991. Betty is a member of the First Baptist Church of Quincy, the Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority, the Delta Kappa Gamma Educational Society and has been active in the Tallahassee Literary Club, the Towne Club, Friends of Lake Jackson and Springtime Tallahassee.
Funeral services will be held at the First Baptist Church Chapel of Quincy (210 W. Washington St.) on Saturday, October 5, 2019, with the visitation at 10:30 and service at 11:30. Lunch will be served followed by a grave-side gathering. The family requests that donations be made to the Big Bend Hospice (1723 Mahan Center Blvd, Tallahassee, FL 32308) instead of flowers.
Charles McClellan Funeral Home, Quincy, FL., 850-627-7677, is in charge of arrangements.
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