Betty Jean Britt

Betty Jean Britt peacefully passed away at home on Wednesday evening, June 6, 2018 at the age of 83. She was surrounded by family and close friends. Betty truly loved Jesus and found comfort from him. She is survived by her son, Patrick A. Britt of Oklahoma City, and her sister Marie Parmley, of Kileen, Texas. An elder son, Lance J. Britt, preceded her in death. Betty was born in Pilot Point, Texas on September 21, 1934 to Laura O. (Hammons) and Richard C. Britt. She had a very traditional upbringing and married Ben Miller while still in high school. Betty worked to support the family while Ben attended school. As a busy homemaker Betty still found time to sporadically attend school herself. In 1968, Betty won the Daily Oklahoma's "Golden Thimble" award for her sewing expertise. A beautiful dress with a scalloped hem caught her eye in the newspaper of all places. She set out to replicate the dress from only a drawing and did so with perfection! Betty's husband Ben was quite impressed with her sewing abilities. For 18 ½ years Betty sought fulfillment as a loving wife and mother. She designed and made her own clothes and drapes. She refinished furniture and even found time to play bridge. But, Betty being the driven woman that she was, wanted more from life. After a year of marriage counseling, she got a divorce and went back to school. She received a M.Ed. in Counseling from Central State University in 1971. She then went on to receive a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1974. She took a lot of pride in being an OU graduate. Betty became the first Chief Psychologist for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. She went on to become the first female psychologist behind the walls of McAlester State Prison. She also served as a consultant for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol Board and the Tulsa Police Department. Dr. Britt was a lifelong trailblazer for women. She had a very successful private practice as a clinical psychologist for 40 years. Her practice specialized in family, marriage and women. She helped young women with tuition and used her business sense to coach them. No doubt she touched the lives of many, many women! She felt her unique background specially qualified her to work with the professional or career woman and the displaced homemaker. Dr. Britt had a phenomenal memory. She never needed to take notes during sessions and had perfect recall with details about her clients years later. She was a very accomplished woman successful in her every endeavor. Also a wonderful role model to her beloved son Patrick, who followed in her footsteps as a clinical counselor. In the last days of her life, Patrick dedicated his life to lovingly caring for his mother in the last days of her life. She was blessed to have such a wonderful son who carried out her every last wish. A memorial service will be held at St. Augustine of Canterbury Episcopal Church in Oklahoma City, on Monday, June 11th at 11:00am. Memorial gifts may be made to Aaron Diamond Aids Research Center, http://www.adarc.org/.