Lester Betts

Lester Betts was born on July 29, 1949, to Lester and Winnie Mae Betts Sr. in Sardis, Mississippi. The oldest of four siblings, he attended school in the Boyle school district and spent his late teen years traveling and working throughout Mississippi. He worked as a welder with his uncles, building grain silos for the Nay Company, before settling in Fredericksburg, Texas, where he met Florence Louise Jenschke, a waitress at Klaerner’s Café. The couple dated for four to five months before marrying on April 10, 1969, at Bethany Lutheran Church in Fredericksburg.

Following their marriage, Lester and Florence moved to Waxahachie for his work and lived in several states, including Montana, before returning to Texas. They made their home on the Jenschke family farm in Stonewall, where Lester assisted with farm duties. Over the years, he worked as a carpenter for Leroy Behrends, co-founded the Stonewall Chili Pepper Company with Jeff Campbell in the 1980s, and later worked for Mike “Coach” Edwards until his retirement in 2013. He also spent a short time helping at Gold’s Orchards peach farm. Lester enjoyed fishing, drinking a cold Lone Star, and stirring up a bit of mischief.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Lester Betts Sr. and Winnie Mae Ray-Betts, his three sisters Mary Ann Betts, Winda Wenzel, and Donna Hubb, his brother Robert Betts, his mother- and father-in-law, two brothers-in-law, one sister-in-law, and three great-nieces. Lester is survived by his wife, Florence, known to all as Flo, his son Michael and wife Lesha Betts of Spring Branch, his daughter Trisha and husband Brent Grobe of Fredericksburg, granddaughter Baleigh, grandson Bentley, five in-law siblings and their spouses—Daniel and Laurie Jenschke, Benno Jenschke Jr., David Jenschke, and Rosemary and Tom Grayson—along with eight nieces and nephews and their spouses, nine great-nieces and nephews with two spouses, one great-great-niece, and his loyal companion of 17 years, his dog Elvis.