Obituary: Betty Jean Mettille (nee Russell)

Obituary was published and funeral arrangements were entrusted to the care and direction of the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home and Crematory​.

Betty Jean Mettille (nee Russell)

Betty Jean Mettille (nee Russell), 93, of Minooka, Illinois, entered into eternal peace Saturday evening, July 25, 2026, passing peacefully at her home surrounded by loved ones. Betty Jean Russell was born November 21, 1932, in a farmhouse in Custer Park, Illinois, to her beloved parents, Lamoin Richard and Elizabeth M. (nee Oakes) Russell.

She married the love of her life, Jim, on November 28, 1953. Jim passed away at the young age of 60 on November 27, 1991. They enjoyed 38 years of married life.

Betty Jean is the mother of the late Michael (Cindy), Lee (Dawn), Anita, Timothy (Carrie), Cheryl (Tony Papesh), and Christine – her devoted children. She is survived by her two special sisters, Phyllis Kirby and Nancy Phelps; sister-in-law, Pat Procarione; grandchildren, Erica, Matthew, Michael, Amanda, William, Joseph, Timothy, James, Megan, and Michael; many great-grandchildren, with another on the way, and a great-great grandchild; numerous nieces and nephews, and many cousins.

Along with her husband, Jim, and her oldest son, Mike, she was preceded in death by her parents and great-grandson, Michael.

Betty Jean attended six years in a one-room school house in Custer Park, then Washington Grade School when her family moved to Joliet. She graduated from Joliet Central High School, Class of 1950, where she met Jim. Betty Jean became an RN at St. Joseph School of Nursing and enjoyed a 30-year career as a surgical nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital. After retiring, Betty Jean traveled to places like England, Ireland, France, Hawaii, Alaska, Italy, Spain, Cabo San Lucas, and multiple other destinations across the United States.

Her life is marked by a strong spirit of giving back to the communities she lived in. She was a regular volunteer at the Joliet Soup Kitchen, Joliet Hospice (now Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care), and led MACs (Mettille’s Against Cancer, Relay for Life, American Cancer Society) in her beloved husband’s memory, for 20 years, raising money for cancer research and aid to patients. She learned to line dance and was an active member of St. Mary’s Church in Minooka, serving as a Eucharist Minister and meeting on Mondays with the other ladies of the church. Betty Jean enjoyed cooking and baking, but the thing that brought her the most joy was spending time with her family. Though she’s no longer with us, Betty Jean’s spirit of family and community, wisdom and memory will be forever with everyone whose lives she touched. She will be deeply missed.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Betty Jean’s name may be made to Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care, 250 Water Stone Circle, Joliet, IL 60431 or to St. Mary’s Church, 303 West St. Mary’s Street, Minooka.

A Memorial Gathering for Betty Jean Mettille will be held on Friday, July 31, 2026, at the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home, 3200 Black Rd., Joliet, from 3:00 until 7:00 p.m. All friends and family are invited to gather on Saturday, August 1, 2026 at St. Mary’s Church, Minooka, 303 West St. Mary’s Street, Minooka, at 11:00 a.m., where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated. Private family inurnment and reunification with her husband, James, will be at Resurrection Cemetery, Romeoville.

For more information, please call 815-741-5500 or visit her Memorial Tribute at www.fredcdames.com, where you can share a favorite memory or leave an online condolence.

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