Betty D. Landry, 85, of Aiken, S.C., died Friday, November 6, 2009, at Aiken Regional Medical Center.

The youngest of nine children of Felix Duplantis and Florence Susan Gordy Duplantis, she was born in Houston, and had lived in Beaumont before moving to Cumberland Village in Aiken in 2006 after Hurricane Rita.

She graduated from Incarnate Word Academy in Houston and was crowned May Queen in her senior year in 1942. Before retiring in 1980, she had worked for DuPont for twenty-seven years, retiring as the first female HR Supervisor at the Beaumont Works. A devout Catholic, she was a charter member of St. Jude Thaddeus Parish in Beaumont and was active in the Ladies of St. Jude Altar Society and numerous charities.  Betty was known for her trusting faith in the intercession of Our Lady of Perpetual Help; providing strength and encouragement to many people, including her husband, brother, and sisters that she cared for in their later years.  Her generous, loving, and joyful spirit brought her many friends that she made throughout her life. She especially loved to share her sense of humor, as well as her skills in interior design and tole painting. She was a devoted spouse and mother, a doting grandmother, and a patriot who loved her country.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her eight siblings; and her husband, Dennis Landry.

She is survived by her daughter, Rebecca Veldman and her husband John of Aiken, South Carolina; and two grandchildren, Stephen of Johnson City, Tennessee, and Amanda of London, United Kingdom.

A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. Friday, November 13, 2009, at St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church with a private family burial to follow under the direction of Broussard’s, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont.  

In lieu of flowers or other gifts, memorial donations may be directed to the National Kidney Foundation, 500 Taylor St., Suite 101, Columbia, South Carolina 29201 or to St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church, 6825 Gladys Avenue, Beaumont, Texas 77706.