Betty Lou Snuggs

Services for Betty Lou Snuggs, 85, of Indianola, will be held Tuesday, October 26, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. at the Pierschbacher Funeral Home in Chariton. Burial will follow the service at the Liberty Center Cemetery. A luncheon will be held at 2:00 p.m. at Brian Snuggs' shop after the service at the cemetery.

Family will receive friends on Monday evening from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. at the Pierschbacher Funeral Home in Chariton.

You may join Betty's family via livestream at https://my.gather.app/remember/betty-snuggs

Memorials are requested to the Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy Association or the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

When you think of Betty you can see the Pirtle smile and that twinkle in her eye. She had a huge heart, great sense of humor, and was a little bit ornery. Betty was everyone’s favorite aunt and had been dubbed the “Queen of the Clan” at the family reunion. She was so happy to enjoy the Pirtle reunion this year with nearly 70 people attending.

As you think of Betty’s character, you think of how generous she was and how she always put the needs of others before her own. Always willing to help and the first to step in to care for family members, Betty was just always there.

Betty was blessed with 11 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren and was very excited to welcome a great great grandchild to the family in the near future. She loved each and everyone dearly and did special things with all of them. Known as the best hugger a grandchild could have, she was also a master at throwing tea parties and collecting rocks. Betty loved attending activities and spending all the time she could with her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She loved to babysit the kids to give their parents a night off, all while making everything so memorable for them all.

Betty lived her life to the fullest. She made many friends while working for the State of Iowa as a Code Editor using her proof reading and graphic design skills to be the best editor. She began working in 1986 and retired in 2009. Betty was also active in church and always made time for her high school friends and would go to lunch monthly with all these groups of friends. Betty was definitely not afraid to try new things, she and Sally Hougland loved riding their “Scooters” all over Indianola, these were not mopeds, they were fast bikes that were an immense amount of fun for the ladies.

Everyone knows that Betty was a great cook and baker. Her goulash is one of a kind, fried chicken and gravy with potatoes was a treat, and her ham gravy was also amazing. But she is known the world over for her homemade caramels and Christmas candies that she literally sent all over the world.

Betty has always been close to family. She was born to Tom and Eva Pirtle on August 25, 1936, in Derby, Iowa, she was the youngest of 7 children, 5 older brothers and a sister. Her father passed away when she was an infant, so her older brothers looked after and protected her as she grew up.

Betty attended Chariton Schools and graduated in the class of 1954. She married her high school sweetheart, Gary Snuggs, in December of 1953 while Gary was in the Air Force. She was blessed with four children: Debra (Ed) Stewart, Sherrill (Doug) Skinner, Cyndi (Roger) Watts, and Brian (Tammy) Snuggs. The family moved several times while the kids were growing up, but Betty eventually made Indianola her home. After divorcing, Betty devoted her life to her children and that showed in the values she taught her kids. Teaching them the importance of family, being kind and loving. Betty remained close to her former in-laws, Granville and Dortha Snuggs, whom she loved dearly.

In addition to her children, her legacy lives on in 11 grandchildren: Chad (Michelle) Willis, Scott (Marci) Willis, Cameron (Maryanna) Willis, Jordan (Amanda) Roberts, Justin Krutsinger, Vance (Mark Riemenschneider) Watts, Granville (Katie) Snuggs, Nikki Roberts, Emma (Alex) Snuggs, Chelsey (Joe) Rozendaal, and Katelynn (Matt) Miner; 19 great grandchildren: Lauren, Olivia, Griffin, Sophia, Liam, Drayton, Davin, Sidney, Zachary, Michael, Sana, Eli, Lydia, Rylee, Peyton, Charlotte, Charish, Drake, and Henry; great great grandbaby G on the way; and a host of nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends.

Preceding her in death was her grandson, Jon Roberts; parents, Tom and Eva; and six siblings.