Betty Frances Sides

Betty Frances Sides, age 89

Former Texas resident Betty Frances Sides, 89, passed away March 2, 2021 at her daughter’s home in Grovetown, GA.

At her request, no service will be held. Her ashes will be buried with her late husband, John Myrl Sides at the Rio Grande Valley State Veterans Cemetery in Mission, TX.

Betty was born April 4, 1931, in Liberty, Missouri to Harry Benjamin Poor and Loleta Yingling Poor. Betty was the second of six children. Her family worked on farm land in Benton, Iowa. When World War II broke out, her family moved from the farmlands of Iowa to Hawthorne, Nevada where her father worked at the Ammunitions Depot. The end of World War II saw the family move to Orange County, California where Harry Poor transferred to work at the Seal Beach Ammunitions Depot.

Betty was a survivor of an automobile accident at age 16 in 1947 and was severely injured. She was in a coma for 37 days and had a badly injured leg. Betty was from sturdy stock and recovered from her injuries and still graduated from Anaheim High School with her class in 1948. Betty went to beauty school after high school, but decided to pursue a clerical job instead of taking her beauty school training into the beauty salon world. She worked side by side with her husband in their business and also worked at JC Penney for several years. Betty had a sweet and kind spirit. Everyone who met her, loved her! She enjoyed crocheting afghans and traveling. Betty faced many challenges in her lifetime, but she was definitely a survivor!

Betty married Owen Candler in 1949 and they had two children together before divorcing in 1974. Betty had a brief marriage to Jack Bales in 1974 which ended in 1975. In 1976 she met John Sides and they married in 1980. Betty helped John in the running of his auto body business for several years. When John retired from the autobody business they traveled in an RV visiting many beautiful sites in the United States. When John’s vision deteriorated to the point that he could no longer drive, Betty and John settled in Zapata, Texas and enjoyed the quiet retired life of small town Texas.

Betty is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Linda (Howard) Hastings; her son, Ronald Candler; stepson John B. Sides; stepdaughters, Susan (Elvin) Sherman, Tina McCain, Karen Odenthal, and Nancy Stebbins; four grandsons Chad, Benjamin, Ronnie, and Randy; two great grandsons Daniel and Michael, brother David (Mary) Poor, Sisters-in-Laws Betty (Fred) Poor and Cathy (Donald) Poor and several nieces and nephews. Betty leaves behind several friends from her many years of living in Zapata, TX among them, Beverly Wiles, Mary and Richard Haven. Betty is preceded in death by her parents, Harry and Loleta Poor, her husband, John M. Sides, two sisters, Marjorie Poor Torrence and Marilyn Poor Schrader and brothers, Fred Eugene Poor, and Donald Lee Poor.

We also want to thank the staff and physicians of Augusta University (Dr. Pruitt, Dr. Schafer, Dr. Mohammed, Dr. Belcher) , Dr. R. Erik Peterson of Centers for Primary Care in Grovetown, Trinity Homehealth and Affinis Hospice for the fabulous care of our precious Mother.