of Conway, AR

November 8, 1928 - May 26, 2024

Betty Lou McFarland Brockbank passed away May 26, 2024 at the age of 95. She was living with her daughter, Laurie de Roque, in Conway, Arkansas.

Betty was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho on November 8, 1928 to her father, Robert Hunter McFarland and mother, Theresa Nelson McFarland. Her only sibling, Geri Brutschy, preceded her in death.

Betty and her sister spent much of their childhood in Garland and Ogden, Utah. When she was a little girl in Garland she enjoyed walking down the street to her Grandma McFarland's house after school every day. She spent a lot of time there and learned many skills from her grandmother (cooking, sewing, crocheting, etc.). She loved designing paper dolls and was always drawing something.

When their family moved to Ogden, her father was a painter at Hill Air Force Base and her mom drove an ambulance for the Air Force.

After receiving an A.A. degree from Weber College, Betty moved to San Francisco to work as a secretary for the U.S. Forestry Service. That was a fortuitous move because that is where she met her best friend and husband-to-be, Jack Brockbank. They were married in the Idaho Falls temple on August 3, 1954. A year later Jack graduated from UC San Francisco dental school and they started their family almost simultaneously with his graduation. They moved to Southern California and after a few years in San Pedro and Ventura they settled in Oak View, CA. They moved to nearby Ojai about 18 years later and lived there a while after retirement.

Betty loved the gospel of Jesus Christ and held many positions in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She made many life-long friendships when they lived in the Ojai area. She and Jack also served a full-time mission together in Birmingham, Alabama.

Betty was an accomplished artist (almost all art medium, including china painting, folk art painting on furniture, occasion cards, etc.). She also dabbled in just about every craft-ceramics, sewing, crochet, paper crafts, floral design, gold leafing-and in her young adult years was a talented ballroom dancer. She was an amazing chef and homemaker, and was always there for her kids in every way.

Family was so important to Betty. She and Jack had a beautiful marriage of almost 66 years and four children were blessed to be in their family: Diane Rowley, Laurie de Roque, Nancy Meppen and Bryan Brockbank. They have 18 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren who love and adore them.

We will all miss Grandma Brockbank so much but are truly grateful we were able to be with her so many years. She was a stalwart example to all of us.

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