Lou Dugger Lawyer

Betty Lou Dugger Lawyer, age 88, died May 13 at her home in Searcy following a short illness. She was born Jan. 3, 1927 in Hillsboro, Texas as one of five children of Thomas Buford and Mamie Dugger. She enrolled at Harding College in Searcy in 1946, where she met Virgil Lawyer. They were married 65 years before his death in 2012. Soon after their marriage the couple moved to Japan to serve as missionaries and to assist in the construction and establishment of Ibaraki Christian College. After five years they returned to America and resided in West Texas and Missouri before returning to Searcy in 1961. She was a member of the College Church of Christ. She developed a deep love for the people of Japan and has remained in contact with a number of friends there through the years. The couple returned to Japan in 1975 to celebrate an anniversary of the college, which currently remains in operation. For 23 years she taught fifth grade in Searcy Public Schools, and her effectiveness in the classroom remains evident through the lives of former students who continued to seek her counsel. Throughout her life she modeled genuine Southern grace and charm with spunk, and she had a way of responding to a serious comment with a touch of humor and the right amount of sarcasm. Surviving are three daughters: Lauren (Mike) Reese of Ft. Worth; Andee (Jimmy) Cone of Little Rock; and Jan (David) Underwood of Searcy; six grandchildren Searcy; Patrick Cone (Lauren) of Dallas; Luke Underwood (Juliana) of Little Rock; Blair (Ray) Blanco of Ft. Worth; and Alex (Krista) Cone of Brooklyn, N.Y.; and great-grandchildren, Eliot Cone; Anderson Underwood, Ellie Grace Underwood, and Thomas Underwood with Simon Underwood due in July; and a brother, Joe Dugger of Waxahachie, Texas. She was preceded in death by three sisters, Arlene Kennedy, Ruth Statum and Marian Hettich. The family appreciates the care and attention shown by Irene Redman, Brenda Craig, Wanda Petty and Helen Luttrell and by the staff of Arkansas Hospice. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 16, 2015 at the College Church of Christ with family visitation to follow from 3-4 p.m. in the fellowship room. A private family interment at White County Memorial Gardens will follow under the direction of Roller-Daniel Funeral Home. Memorials may be made to the Virgil and Lou Endowed Scholarship Fund at Harding University. For online guestbook, www.rollerfuneralhomes.com.