Betty Jean Hammonds Kelley was born September 24, 1944 at Brooks Army Hospital in San Antonio,
Texas. Her parent were Willie Marshall Hammonds and Mary Elizabeth Artusy Watts Hammonds. She
had a half sister Barbara Watts Held and a half brother Billy Watts. Her mother passed away when she
was only 6 months old. She was raised by her maternal grandmother Barbara Artusy and later with a
neighbor Jack and Grace Ritter. She graduated from Waltrip High School in 1963 and attended Texas
Woman’s University Denton, Texas for 2 years to study nursing. In 1964 she married Wayne Kelley at the
Dever’s Nursing Home so a close friend in a iron lung could attend. They were married 57 years and had
2 daughters Laurie Ann Kelley and Cheryl Lynn Kelley and 1 grandson Christopher Daniel Kelley.