Bette G. Correll

Bette G. Correll, 94, of Hutsonville, IL died at 3:53 p.m. on Tuesday, January 23, 2018 at Magnolia Center in Robinson, IL following several years of declining health. She was born on March 2, 1923 in Indianapolis, IN, the daughter of Gertrude Milam. She was raised in the home of her grandparents Myrtle Williams & Charles Milam, east of West Union, IL. She is survived by her children, Scarlett Anne & Nolan Williamson (Hutsonville, IL), Nancy & Duane Wampler (Graysville, IN), Bob & Bev Correll (Hutsonville, IL), and Luann & Pill Wesley (Trimble, IL); by her grandchildren, Clint & Stacey Williamson, Heather & Tony Vittorio, Aaron Correll, Aaric & Jodi Correll, Daron & Candy Wampler, Heidi & Nate Seymour, Mandy & D.J. Estey, and Kurtis Strohm & Brittney Callaway; by her granddaughter-in-law, Shelly Williamson; by her great-grandchildren, Abby Williamson, Amanda & Jeff Meeks, Tyler & Alexis Williamson, Taylor Vittorio, Nic Vittorio, Reese Williamson, Ross Williamson, Neeley Correll, Griffin Correll, Lauren Seymour, Layna Seymour, Lucas Seymour, Klaira Strohm, Ethan Estey, Emerson Estey, and Dominique Estey; by her great-great-grandchildren, Ace Meeks, Conner and Haleigh Williamson. She was preceded in death by her mother on August 10, 1994; by her husband, Clinton Correll on October 10, 2002; by her grandsons, Carl Correll Wampler in 1972 and Shawn Andrew Correll in 1975; and by her grandson, Gene Williamson in 2018. Bette attended #6 School, which was 1 mile north of her home. Sometimes she was the only one in her class. She attended Hutsonville High School where she met the love of her life, Orlan Clinton Correll. They married on November 11, 1940 in Kentucky and began their married life in the Correll farm, at the foot of the Mt. Ephriam. They moved to Trimble for three years and then to the B. Kinney farm half a mile north of Trimble, near the wooden overhead bridge where they lived for some 50 years. She then moved back to Correll farm, where she had began her married life, and lived there until she suffered a stroke in September of 2013. She spent over the last 4 years at Magnolia Center in Robinson. Bette was employed for a short time at the Bobby Pin Factory in Hutsonville. After that she was a full time stay at home mother and housewife. She made a home for her husband, her mother and her 4 children, and at times for her uncle Harry, or any other farm hand who was working for them. Bette was a very talented woman. She played the guitar, she cut and sewed rags which she wove many into rugs on her loom, enjoyed decorating for each season of the year, caning chairs & quilting. She loved to work, raising chickens, making lye soap, canning the many vegetables she grew in her garden, and cooking for her family plus hired farm hands. She did laundry on a wringer washer, dried her laundry outside on a clothes line or hung them all around the house in the winter months. She enjoyed playing canasta &watching “Little House on the Prairie” with her grandchildren. She spent hours rocking her babies. She was an original recycler, making do with things she had. This was a skill she learned by growing up during the depression and living with the Corrells. She was a huge fan of “Gone with the Wind” and an avid doll collector. She always welcomed company and served them a glass of her famous “sweet tea”. Christmas was her favorite holiday and it showed in her Christmas porch and the decorations she always put outside at Christmas time. Very special times to her was when her family would gather at her home for a “party”. At harvest time you could find her out in the corn field, picking up corn cobs to make corn cob jelly and syrup. She fried dandelions and people could not tell them from mushrooms. She was a member of the First Christian Church in Hutsonville, member of the Canasta Club at Hutsonville, member of James Halstead Sr. Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution and an active member of the Hutsonville Historical Society. She starred in many productions of the Hutson Massacre Pageant as “Mrs. Hutson”. She made her own 1812 reenactment clothing and always had so much fun “dressing up” for events at the Cabins. She served as a cabin cleaner, hostess, worker at any special event and as a docent, always promoting the Historical Society. A time of visitation will be held from 4:00-7:00 p.m. on Friday, January 26th at the Prust-Hosch Funeral Home in West Union, IL. Funeral services will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Friday at the funeral home. A graveside service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 27th at the Hutsonville Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the “Hutsonville Historical Society” to assist in the roofing of the Hutson Cabins. Envelopes will be available at the funeral home.