Betty Lou Cundiff

Fithian - Betty Lou Cundiff (formerly Sprague) passed away peacefully on Sunday evening, July 19, in her home and surrounded by her family and close friends. She was ninety years old.

Betty was born February 12, 1936, in Danville, IL to Ollie and Eugene Sprague. She graduated from Lake Shore School (a little one-room schoolhouse) and attended Oakwood High School. She married the love of her life, Jesse Frederick Cundiff on October 2, 1953. They were married for sixty years and had three children: Jesse Eugene (Roberta), Joseph Franklin, and LaDonna Marie. They survive. Also surviving are eleven grandchildren, twenty-one great-grandchildren, six (soon to be seven) great-great grandchildren, and multiple nieces and nephews. She has one surviving sister, Reba Samford, who resides in Bowman Estates Assisted Living Facility in Danville. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, two sisters, and two brothers.

Betty was a life-long homemaker. She worked brief jobs outside the home, such as housecleaning and sorting corn at Southern States Seed Corn Company during harvest, but her home was always her main priority. She had a keen eye for interior design, frequently re-arranging her furniture and family portraits, keeping things fresh and immaculately clean in the home where she resided for over sixty-five years. Within the family, she was legendary in her love of chocolate. While she was still driving, she carried a bumper sticker on her car which read, “Will work for chocolate.” She was also fun-loving with a good sense of humor; she and her husband used to enjoy playing tricks on each other on April Fools’ Day. She was known affectionately as “Mom Betty” to her children’s friends as they were growing up, and as “Grandma Moo” to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren (there’s a story behind that). In her younger years, she loved driving fast and once even raced and beat a train to the railroad crossing! In later years she maintained her mental acuity with word searches, crossword puzzles, reading her Bible, and listening to Christian music.

Betty was a strong Christian woman who loved the Lord. She was generous to a fault, sending donations to many worthwhile causes. She enjoyed singing in church and at home with her sisters and other family members, playing the piano by ear and very enthusiastically. She was raised in the Nazarene Church but later became a member of Muncie Baptist Church where she was loved by the entire congregation. She did not hesitate to speak out in church, giving her testimony of praise and blessings she had received.

Betty was loved and well cared for by her whole family, but especially by her devoted live-in daughter, LaDonna Boyles, and her much-loved caregiver, Michele “Micki” Powell. The family would like to thank Accolade Nursing Facility, where Betty spent a few weeks in physical rehabilitation earlier this year. However, her deepest desire was to die in her own home and in her own bed. Her daughter was determined that this wish be fulfilled, and it was! A huge thank you also to Transitions Hospice Care, who were immensely helpful during Betty’s final days.

Visitation for Betty will be Saturday, July 25 at Muncie Baptist Church, from 11 am to 1 pm. Immediately following the visitation, a funeral service/Celebration of Life will be conducted by Pastor Todd Creason. Burial will be in Pleasant Grove Cemetery, just north of Oakwood. Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center, 3940 N. Vermilion St., Danville, IL 61834 has been entrusted with arrangements.

Please join Betty’s family in sharing memories, photos, and video of her life through her tribute wall at www.sunsetfuneralhome.com.