Betty Willis

Betty - Jane Willis, age 91, passed away peacefully at her home in Overton, Nevada on April 19, 2015. She was born May 20, 1923 in Overton to Stephen Robert and Gertrude Eleanor Meader Whitehead. In 1951 she married Leon Garnet Willis in Las Vegas, Nevada. They had one daughter and were later divorced.

Betty moved to Las Vegas very early in her life, she lived there until finally moving back to Overton in 2008. She worked as Neon Sign Designer and was well known for some of the iconic signs of Las Vegas. She was known as the birthmother of "Fabulous" and the icon of Las Vegas, because she was the designer of the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign on the South end of the strip. As well as the "Moulon Rouge", "Blue Angel Motel" and many other signs. She enjoyed swimming and playing in the water well into her eighties. She was a loving mother, active and vibrant through out her ninety one years.

Survivors include her daughter, Marjorie Holland of Overton, NV; granddaughter, Erin (Justin) Smith of Las Vegas, NV; grandson, James Holland of Overton, NV and one great granddaughter, Holland Ava Smith. She was preceded in death by four brothers and three sisters.

Funeral services will be held Friday, April 24, 2015 at 11 a.m. in the Overton LDS Chapel, 226 W. Thomas Ave., Overton, NV. Visitation will be from 9:30 -10:30 a.m. prior to services at the chapel. Interment will follow in the Pioneer Hill Memorial Cemetery.