Elizabeth "Betty" C. Underwood, 78, of Springfield, Mo., passed away Monday, June 15, 2009, after a lengthy illness. Born June 22, 1930 in Mammoth Spring, Ark.;, to Jess William Carroll and Annie Pearl Glenn, she lost her only sibling and older brother, William, when he was an infant, to meningitis. The family moved from the small, Ozark community to Thayer, Mo., where her father owned a grocery store and later a feed mill. She was an outgoing and athletic young woman who frequently rode her bicycle throughout town. She loved horses and dogs, and was a standout volleyball player while at Thayer High School. She met her future husband, James P. Underwood, on a blind date while attending Drury College. Shortly after graduation, they married June 8, 1953 in Thayer and moved to Independence, Mo., where James was employed in Kansas City, Mo. After teaching high school physical education for a year, she became a homemaker. The couple's first child, James C. Underwood, was born in 1957. A daughter, Amy, followed in 1964. The family moved to Kansas City, Mo., where her husband began a career with Hallmark Cards that lasted more than 30 years. Betty was an active Camp Fire leader for several years. She also developed her love of art, becoming associated with Kansas City art studios, and of historical genealogy. She was a lifelong member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Daughters of the Confederacy, and the National Society Colonial Dames Seventeenth Century. Her creative artistry continued to blossom and she immersed herself in various painting techniques, including oil and watercolor, decoupage, tole painting and ceramics. After the couple retired to Springfield, Mo., she joined Splatters art studio, where her attachment to her art was exceeded only by her attachment to her art colleagues and friends. Betty is preceded in death by her son, James C. Underwood; and her parents. She is survived by her husband, James P. Underwood, of the home; and her daughter, Amy, of Tulsa. Graveside services under the direction of Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home, Springfield, Mo., will be at 2 p.m. Friday, June 19, 2009 in Maple Park Cemetery, 300 W. Grand Street, Springfield, Mo. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tenn., 38105 or at St. Jude's website, stjude.org.