Betty Lou McCall, 86 years old, passed away in the early morning hours of September 23rd, 2021, at The Baptist Home in Ozark, MO. Betty was born on February 1, 1935, in Stultz, Missouri.

Betty was raised on a farm with her dad John Oscar Neil and her mom Mammie Jewell Neil. They had horses, cows, goats, pigs, dogs and likely a few cats. Betty even had a pet pig that slept in her bed. Betty also rode her horse to school every day and tied it up out front.

As a teenager, Betty got a job at a shoe factory in Houston, MO where she met her future husband, Sherman McCall, who later joined the Army as a track vehicle mechanic and became Staff Sergeant. They were married in 1955, when Betty was 20 years old. They traveled with the Army even living 2 years in Germany! They celebrated 58 years of marriage before Sherman's death in 2013.

After 7 years of Army life, Betty and Sherman settled in Springfield, MO. Betty went to work for Meller's photo lab, and later worked in retail stores such as Venture and Kmart. They also began buying rental properties and worked together as a team on any and all work whose properties needed. Betty loved to laugh and always had an ornery, dimpled smile and a can-do attitude, that never backed down from hard work!

Betty and Sherman attended college in later years at what is now MSU in Springfield. Betty also attended Real Estate school and obtained her Real Estate broker's license.

They loved camping and even built their own conversion van in 1982. However, after retiring they bought a large RV and traveled the country together! Betty and Sherman loved to just sit and watch animals or people scurry about, while they were eating honey buns or cinnamon rolls, and drinking very hot coffee!

Sherman and Betty were always very active in church. In the 1970's Sherman helped physically build a new church in SE Springfield and lead the worship music while Betty played piano and taught Sunday School. Betty was a strong prayer warrior, and always had faith that God could change people. She didn't see "bad people", just people doing "bad things". She was always willing to give someone a second chance to do the right thing. Thanks to her excellent Sunday School teachings and strong life examples of faith through experience, both her sons made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ!

After Sherman's death, Betty resided in a nursing facility but continued to witness to those around her and attend church. Her son, Kevin, would pick her up from the nursing home and bring her with him and his family to Second Baptist Church every Sunday, as long as she was able. She loved attending Sunday school classes, singing songs in the service, hearing great sermons, and going out for lunch with the family! Betty also attended many family gatherings outside the facility.

Betty was preceded in death by her baby sister, her mother Mammie Jewel Neil, her father John Oscar Neil, her husband Sherman McCall, her son Jimmy McCall, and a great-grandson Micah.

Betty is survived by her son, Kevin McCall, his wife Kristy, their daughters Karley and Katie, a daughter-in-law Laurie McCall and her daughters Christina Williams, with her son Gabe, and Heather Byrd with her children TJ and Kayla.

Funeral Services will be held at 12:30 PM, Wednesday, October 6, 2021, at Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home, in Springfield, with burial to follow in Missouri Veterans Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, Tuesday, October 5, 2021, in the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Gideon's Foundation, PO Box 140800, Nashville, TN 37214-0800, www.gideons.org ,  or Pregnancy Care Center, 1342 E. Primrose St., Ste C, Springfield, MO 65804, www.417pcc.org .