Betty Jo (Gilliland) Moody

Betty Jo (Gilliland) Whitford-Moody, was born in Pulaski County, Kentucky on May 19, 1933 and died in Fountain County, Indiana on September 15. 2023. She was the loving wife of Allan Moody of rural Kingman. She was the proud mother of Christi Millikan (Jeffrey) of Williamsport, Indiana and Dennis Whitford (Sally) of Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. When she married Allan, she gained an additional loving family with daughters, Jean Cook (Thomas) of Kingman, Indiana, and Mary Kendall (Jeremy) of Smithfield, Pennsylvania. Her grandchildren were Ashley Marie Turus (Nicholas) of Florida, Nathan Max Whitford of Michigan, Justin Thomas Cook (Jenny) of Indiana, Jessica Renee Shields (Bryan) of Indiana, and Paxton Elizabeth Kendall of Pennsylvania. She had four great grandchildren, Lia Grace and James Max Turus, and Jax Thomas and Jameson William Cook.

Betty Jo was the only daughter of Jack and Ina Gilliland, who were farmers in Kentucky and Indiana. Her early years were spent in the fertile fields of tomatoes, corn, beans, and tobacco with her older brothers, Okel, Leo, and her closest brother, Delno.

She was a graduate of Tangier High School class of 1951 and cherished the memories with her 15 other classmates. In 1953 she married her first love, Arthur Max Whitford of Clinton. They raised their children in the family farmhouse in Parke County. Max passed in 1990, and she was single for 11 years before marrying Allan in 2001.

She was a very fun-loving person and had many adventures in her life. She worked as assistant Librarian at the Kingman Library for many years. She loved gardening, walks in the woods and mushroom hunting as well as snowmobiling and plane rides. She loved to play Bunco and square dance. She was an outstanding cook and enjoyed sharing her famous pies with others during the Covered Bridge Festival at the Tangier rest stop.

Her family was her primary focus and she took exceptional pride in them through faith and service. Her spirit lives on in her family. She was a lifelong member of the Kingman United Methodist Church and also attended the Prairie Creek Baptist Church with Allan.

Visitation will be at Sanders Funeral Care, 203 S 1st Street in Kingman on Tuesday, September 19, 2023 from 1:00 pm till the time of the funeral service at 3:00 pm. Burial will follow at Kingman Fraternal Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family request memorial donations may be given in her memory to the Kingman United Methodist Church or Prairie Creek Baptist Church or the charity of their choice. Share memories and condolences online at www.SandersFuneralCare.com.