Elizabeth “Betsy” Goodnight, 76, o f Caldwell, Texas, was called home to her Lord on Tuesday, December 6, 2022.
Visitation was held on Monday, December 12, 2022, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Phillips & Luckey Funeral Home.
Funeral services were held at the First Presbyterian Church of Caldwell on Tuesday, December 13, 2022, at 11 a.m. Reverend Dr. George Klett conducted the services.
Betsy was born on September 4, 1946, to William “Bill” Rivers Allen and Martha Elizabeth “Bess” (Tisinger) Allen in Austin, Texas.
After World War II, the Allen Family was stationed in the Philippines. Young Betsy would sneak off to the banana groves every chance she got. There she learned Filipino as
her first language and managed to have the workers pick all the fresh bananas she could eat.
When the family came home to Bryan, Texas, Betsy finally learned English but never lost her love for bananas. Her number one grocery request was always bananas because they “tasted like home.”
Her number two request was always Diet Coke. This love also started at a young age, when she would crawl under the front porch and refuse to come out until someone bribed her with an icy cold bottle of Coca-Cola.
Later her mother would remarry Charles “Charlie” Birdwell Beard, who Betsy would call “Daddy.” That adventure eventually took them to settle on a ranch on the banks of the Red River in Frogville, Oklahoma.
From there, she met her high school sweetheart and future husband, James Keith Perkins.
After graduating from Hugo High School, Betsy earned her B.S. in Mathematics at The University of Oklahoma, where she was a member of the Chi Omega sorority.
Betsy and Keith started their family while he was stationed at Lakenheath Air Force Base in England, with the birth of Sarah Edith Perkins.
Upon return to Washington, D.C., Betsy began a career in computers by programming with punch cards for the U.S. Navy.
Eventually, they ended up in Garland, Texas, where they completed their family with the birth of Martha Elizabeth Perkins.
Betsy balanced her life as a mom and professional businesswoman. As a mom, she served as the “Cookie Mom” for the Girls Scouts and always had extra cookies for the neighborhood kids yearround. As a professional, she was an active member and mentor for the Dallas Chapter of Women In Computing.
After being widowed, Betsy moved back to the Allen home in Bryan, Texas.
There she served as a Deacon for the First Presbyterian Church in Bryan.
She founded a singles group through which she met Thomas L. Goodnight Jr. at their inaugural New Year’s Eve Party. They bonded over their shared family heritage and reuniting the Goodnight-Loving Trail. They were married the following Thanksgiving, November 23, 1995, and her life in Caldwell, Texas, began.
Life in Caldwell returned her to ranch life, helping Tom raise and breed his King P-234 horses.
She also joined his ministry at Giddings State School, which later led them to support the PACE program.
They joined The First Presbyterian Church of Caldwell, where she served as an Elder.
She retired from her computer career at Brazos Valley Council of Governments to come home and take care of family and many friends in Caldwell, Texas.
Betsy was preceded in death by her parents: father, William “Bill” Rivers Allen; mother, Martha Elizabeth “Bess” Tisinger Allen Beard Wyche; stepfather, Charles “Charlie” Birdwell Beard; sister, Martha Allen Burden; husband, James Keith Perkins; husband, Thomas L. Goodnight Jr.; brother, Charles “Chuck” Birdwell Beard; and brother, Benjamin “Biff” Tisinger Beard.
She is survived by daughter, Sarah Edith Witt-Bird and her husband, Leon Bird; daughter, Martha Perkins; grandchildren, Hallie Ann-Marie Villanueva, Tye Jordan Villanueva, Levi Reese Villanueva, Robin Ann and Jeremy Reding, and Randi Joy Bird; great-grandchildren, Tailee Alexis Reding and Caleb Zane Reding; and cousins, D.L. and Emily Tisinger.
Express condolences at Phillipsandluckey.com.
PHILLIPS & LUCKEY FUNERAL HOME 404 W. Buck St. Caldwell, Tx 77836 979-567-3232