Betty Elberson Lemmon

In a letter to her children, Betty requested no services, no memorial, only "to be cremated and my ashes returned to the earth".

Betty Elberson Lemmon passed away Aug 8, 2026, peacefully in her home of 30 years at 100 years old.

Betty Elberson Lemmon was born December 22, 1925, in New Orleans, LA to Pearl Bullard Elberson and Samuel Wallace Elberson. Her family moved to Lafayette, LA in 1927 and there she grew up. She graduated from Lafayette High School in 1942. She earned degree from Southwestern LA Institute (SLI) in 1945 and at age 19 began teaching at SLI. She taught there until 1950 when her first child was born. From the years 1950 to 1959, she took a hiatus from teaching but returned to SLI in 1959. She continued to be faculty at the then University of Southwestern LA (USL) - formerly SLI and earned a master’s degree in 1965.

Her passion in Botany continued and she was awarded a PhD in 1968 from Louisiana State University (LSU) for her dissertation "Cytological Investigations in the genus Weissia in the Southeastern United States". She was tenured at LSU and continued as faculty until 1970 when she returned to USL as faculty.

In 1978, Roy Brown PhD (USL colleague) and Betty began researching together. Their research resulted in numerous publications, NSF grants and pioneer work in electron microscopy. The work was recognized internationally and through these relationships, the research continued for many years. In 1988, she retired from USL as faculty but remained as Professor Emeritus and continued the botanical research and friendship with Dr. Brown for many years. Her greatest desire was to research and work and even in later years would express her desire to continue to write publications as a result of their research.

in 1996, Betty built a house in Cedaredge, CO that became her permanent home and most beloved home to and for her. It was here that she built of life in the mountains that she had loved since her parents had begun bringing her to Colorado as a small girl. When not working, she enjoyed reading, sewing, walking, yard sales, and generally enjoying the beauty around her. A magnificent sunset would bring tears to her eyes. Though not generally a shopper, one of her absolute favorite places to go was Heirlooms for Hospice.

She was brilliant and talented... she could do most anything she put her mind to learning... and that encompassed so many things! Some of her fondest memories were the stories that involved her beloved brother Tom (11 years her senior) and all that he taught her and helped her learn, the time he spent with a little girl riding her on his bike, fishing for bugs, swimming, making candy, tying knots, designing and making model airplanes, boats and kites. She wrote "he would let me watch him draw and explain why he was changing what. Not that I could really understand it but it was, I realized now, a good foundation for scientific thinking".

She is survived by her children Karen Lemmon Fogleman (John) of Montgomery, Tx and Edwin Louis Lemmon (Candice) of Florissant, Co along with 5 grandchildren (Julian Spring, Allison Lemmon Janise, Brian Lemmon, Daniel LeBlanc, Marc Leblanc. She has 6 great grandchildren (Payton Janise, Gaege Janise, Bentley Janise, Landon Leblanc, Levi LeBlanc, Ethan Lemmon).

Betty was preceded in death by her parents Pearl and Wallace Elberson, her sister Edna Lea Elberson Landry, brother Tom Elberson, her children Byron Karl Lemmon (Janie), Linda Lemmon Leblanc, and her grandchild Nicholas Lemmon.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in her name to Hospice and/or Heirlooms for Hospice to support the programs they so beautifully provide.

I wish to add a note of deep gratitude to Hope West Hospice and the care they gave to her and the family so that this close of life was both peaceful and graceful.