Betty Jane Smallwood Perdue

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Betty Jane Smallwood Perdue, who left us on November 9, 2025, at the age of 89. Born on October 18, 1936, in Dumas, Arkansas, Betty moved to Iowa at the age of 16.

Betty was a proud graduate of Iowa High School and a woman of many talents. She was an expert seamstress, designing and sewing her children’s clothing, a successful businesswoman, owning and operating Tina’s Plant House for 25 years, and a skilled cook, equally capable of executing any recipe from her many cookbooks or creating her own. She cherished her time nurturing plants and flowers, especially her roses and daylilies, and she loved nothing more than gathering with her family around the table and sharing delicious meals. 

She leaves behind her beloved daughters, Tina A. Perdue and Lisa J. Perdue of Williamsburg, VA, along with her grandchildren, William G. Perdue (Jade) of Bossier City, LA and Benjamin L. Perdue (Kelly) of Chesapeake, VA. Betty's legacy also includes her great-grandchildren, Stella, Zachary, Pierce, Heath, and Graham, step great-grandchildren, Keegan and Mark, and a host of nieces and nephews, who all brought immense joy to her life. 

Funeral services will be on November 19, 2025 at 1:00 pm at Johnson Funeral Home in Iowa, where we will remember Betty's wonderful life. After the service, she will be laid to rest at Pine Hill Cemetery next to her beloved husband, Bill, and son, Gary. Betty touched the lives of everyone around her and will be profoundly missed. Please join us to honor and remember this extraordinary woman. 

Betty was preceded in death by her husband, William "Bill" Perdue; her mother, Emma Smallwood; her son, Gary Perdue; her twin sister, Beverly Williamson; and her brother, Wayland Smallwood.