Betty Jean Plummer

Betty Jean Smith Plummer died at 9:59pm on Friday, March 14, 2025 at Royal Oaks Care Center in Sun City, AZ. She was 93.

Betty was born on October 15, 1931, in Hereford, Texas to George W Smith and May Ellen (Tevis) Smith. The family left the Dust Bowl of Texas and returned to southeast Kansas in 1935. In 1945, the family left a farm outside of Neodesha, Kansas, and moved to Fredonia, Kansas, where Betty graduated as valedictorian of Fredonia High School in 1949. She was a state champion debater her senior year. She received a bachelor’s degree in business, language and literature from Pittsburg State University in 1953.

On April 28, 1953, she married Mark Allen Plummer (deceased). They spent the first year of their marriage in Wurzburg, Germany, where Mark was serving in the U.S. occupation forces. When they returned to the U.S., they taught for three years in Kansas City, Kansas. Mark then entered graduate school at Kansas University in Lawrence, Kansas, where Betty had her first child, Robert. After earning his doctorate in History in 1960, they moved to Normal, Illinois, where Mark became a history professor at Illinois State University. Betty was pregnant with their second child, Lisa, when they moved to Illinois.

From 1965-1966, the family lived in Taipei, Taiwan, where Mark had a Fulbright to teach American History at National Taiwan University.

Betty later earned her Master’s degree in English and taught freshman English at Illinois State University, where she also worked as Foreign Admissions Officer and Coordinator of Foreign Student and Scholar Services. Betty received the Distinguished Service Award for Administrative-Professional staff. She retired in August 1994 and traveled extensively with her husband. They became full-time residents of Sun City, AZ in 2018. Betty led a full and rich life, including a job she loved, travel, adventures and love of family.

Betty was preceded in death by her husband of 68 years, Mark Plummer, and all six of her siblings. She is survived by her children Robert Allen Plummer and Lisa Plummer Borho, granddaughter Chelsea Plummer James, grandson Joshua Dean Plummer, and great-grandchild Jacob James. She was also part of a large, extended family of nieces, nephews and their children, whom she loved dearly.

A memorial will be held at Royal Oaks Retirement Community, 9965 W Royal Oak Rd, Sun City, AZ on March 23, 2025, at 3:00pm. A graveside service will be held at 11:00am, Saturday, June 28, 2025 at Evergreen Cemetery, 302 E. Miller Street, Bloomington, IL 61701.  A luncheon will immediately follow.  Contributions can be made to the Betty Plummer International Studies Outstanding Senior Scholarship.