February 2, 1929 – September 11, 2025
Betty Jean Cowley was born on February 2, 1929, in Salt Lake City, the youngest of five children of LaVinia Card and David “Vern” Shurtliff. She came into the world at home, delivered with the help of her grandmother, LaVinia Rigby Card, and a neighbor. From that day forward, Grandma Card played a central role in Betty Jean’s life, nurturing a bond that shaped the way Betty Jean herself would later mother and grandmother with such devotion.
From an early age, Betty Jean was industrious, self-sufficient, and committed to her church. Her first babysitting jobs paid just ten cents an hour if she stayed overnight and helped with ironing. In junior high, she scooped ice cream at Garden Gate. By college, she was operating Utah’s first electric elevator at the Hotel Newhouse, and she continued to lend her talents as a piano accompanist for a local dance teacher and as the pianist in her church’s Primary program for decades.
Education was always one of Betty Jean’s greatest joys. At East High School, she sang in the women’s a cappella group, and she went on to graduate from the University of Utah with a degree in secondary education. She taught home economics, passed down her quilting skills at the College of Southern Utah (now Southern Utah University), and never stopped learning herself—pursuing yoga, sign language, Spanish, and maintaining her teaching certificate well into her sixties.
It was at a church Halloween activity in college that Betty Jean’s lifelong love story began. She needed a ride to transport balloons; Dex Cowley had a car. That chance moment blossomed into nearly six decades of marriage. Betty Jean and Dex married on May 31, 1951, and settled in Cedar City, where they carried on the family legacy of Cowley Drug. Together they raised five children, a dream Betty Jean cherished as she continued the tradition of mothers before her. She adored Dex and would regularly reflect, “I’m just so lucky.” In the 1950s, they helped build a cabin at Lake Mead—a simple retreat that became a gathering place for laughter, memory-making, and connection across generations.
Her life was a testament to love and care. She devoted herself to raising her children, tending to aging parents, caring for Dex, and doting on family pets, especially her beloved dog Darcy. Betty Jean’s legacy lives on in her children—Lynette, Dale (Michelle), Darryl, Boyd, and Corene—her 17 grandchildren, 39 great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren.
Betty Jean shared her wisdom with gentle simplicity. She believed the recipe for a happy marriage was as straightforward as holding hands. She reminded others to show kindness, because “you never know what people are going through.” And she saw each new day as a chance to find joy. She joyously gave two dollar bills, suckers, and chocolate coins generously to all those she encountered.
On September 11, 2025, Betty Jean passed peacefully in her sleep, surrounded by the family she loved and who loved her fiercely in return. Her humor, kindness, and love of learning shaped a family and a legacy that will carry forward for generations.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, September 20th at 11 a.m. at Southern Utah Mortuary. A viewing will be held one hour prior to services.