Betty Louise (Wells) Swinney, 87 of Ranger, passed away Monday March 23, 2026 in Ranger.
Visitation will be held Sunday, Mar. 29 th 4~6:00 p.m. Edwards Funeral Home in Ranger. Services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Monday, March 30 th , at the funeral home with burial following in the Bullock Cemetery.
Betty was born May 7, 1938 in Ranger to Rudy Lee Wells and Altie Opal Dempsey.
Betty attended early school years at Bullock School House in Ranger, Texas, later graduating from Ranger High School in Ranger, continuing her education at Ranger Jr. College, where she was a member of Ranger Jr. College Rangerettes Drill Team. Country girl at heart, being raised on a farm, she participated in local rodeos and was Ranger Jaycee Rodeo Queen in 1962-1963. At Ranger Jr. College, she met and married Dick Fletcher of Morgan, Texas in 1957 and began a family. Married to a pipeline welder with children, she traveled to many states and obtained many friends and acquaintances, always returning to Ranger as home base for the school year. During her kid’s school years, Betty “Boots” occupied many extra employments; David Pickrell
Insurance, El Rancho Café, elementary school teachers aid, and in later years an H & R Block tax preparer.
Boots was a “worker bee,” didn’t matter what or where, whether in the house, at work or at play the color purple was always there. Sometimes she even dressed the kids in purple! After many years of oilfield and pipeline, living in places from Ohio to Louisiana, Boots moved
back to the “home place” in Ranger, to help take care of granddad. In 1995, Boots married Johnny Swinney and they “rocking chaired” the last 30 years in country life and lots of purple. She was a member of the Lake Leon Baptist Church.
Singing praises to God in her Heavenly mansion, she awaits the arrival of her loved ones left behind; son, Blaine Fletcher of Valley Mills; daughter, Belinda Hitchcock of Covington, Ohio; step daughters, Jayne Lewellen of Granbury, and Janet Swinney of Big Spring; brother, Johnny Wells of Ranger; cousin, Bobby Dale Dempsey, Ranger; many cousins, nieces and nephews from everywhere; brothers in law, Garland Fletcher of Lampasas and Daryl Swinney; sisters in law, Pat Lager of Tyler and Diane Swinney and twenty-five grandchildren, thirty-six great grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren.
Preceded in death by her parents, Rudy and Opal; husband, Johnny Swinney; son, Rudy Bryan Fletcher (infant); brothers, Donald Ray Wells and Jimmy Lee.
