Bette Jane Fugitt went to be with her Savior, Jesus Christ, on February 26, 2010. She was born in Springfield, July 7, 1918, to Melvin and Maude Sellers. They moved to Republic in 1933, when Bette was a sophomore in high school where they purchased and operated a cafe on Main Street called Sellers Cafe for eleven years. Bette had a beautiful soprano voice and while in high school a teacher, Harry J. Siceluff, on many occasions would take her and her younger sister, Jo Ann, out of school and drive them in his car to funerals to sing. He is the man Siceluff Hall is named after at MSU. Bette was very active at First Christian Church of Republic most of her life. in 1938, she married J.W. Fugitt. Her father-in-law, Leonard Fugitt, had recently purchased a 320 acre farm southeast of Republic which was the fist of several tracts he accumulated along Terrell Creek during his lifetime. After living in town her first twenty years and being accustomed to moderd conveniences, Bette moved to the farm. Their farmhouse, which is still standing today and is part of Wilson's Creek National Park, had no electricity, running water, telephone or bathroom and was heated by a wood stove. Though living five miles from town with no car, she always said she could not have been happier than living there with her cats, pet lamb, pet pig, and her own horse as companions. After ten years on the farm, she and J.W. moved inside Republic where Bette lived for 48 years. She spent the last thirteen as a resident of Springfield. Before J.W.'s death in 1983, they spent his last twenty winters in Fla. with Jo Ann and Howard Eagan. Until Bettes health began to fail, she was very adventurous and traveled extensively. Other than J.W. Bette was preceded in death by her parents and a grand-daughter, Pamela Kay Fugitt. She is survived by two sisters and their spouses, Jo Ann and Howard "Wormey" Eagan of Republic and Peggy and Dr. Robert Harris of Raleigh, N.C.; a son, Terry Fugitt; a daughter, Christina Fugitt-Griffiths and her husband, Bill Griffiths, all of Springfield.; six grand-children, Sarah Kizer and Lori Viles of Springfield, John Fugitt and Mary Beth Stewart of Ozark, Lisa Shevey of Williamston, N.C. and Kitty Flatt of Republic; and ten great-grandchildren. There will be a visitation at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, March 14, 2010 followed by a memorial service at 2:30 p.m. at First Christian Church on Main Street in Republic. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a memorial donation be made to the First Christian Church of Republic.