Betty Menard Tweedel McFatter

Betty Ann McFatter, née Menard, age 89, of Groves, TX, passed away peacefully on Saturday, December 6, 2025, at her residence, surrounded by loved ones. Betty was born on June 12, 1936, in Kaplan, LA, to Blanche and Robert Menard. She attended St. James Catholic School and graduated from Bishop Byrne High School in 1954. Shortly thereafter, she married James Tweedel and gave birth to their first child, Kim, before moving to Augsburg, Germany, where they were assigned with the Army. The family returned to the United States prior to the birth of their second child, Jimmy, and later moved to Tennessee for a subsequent Army assignment. Later, she returned to Texas with her family and gave birth to her youngest child, Michael. Betty married William McFatter, a former Louisiana State Trooper, in 1985.

After spending much of her early adult life raising children, Betty worked as a secretary at Bishop Byrne High School and joined Gulf Oil’s Port Arthur refinery in 1977, where she earned the nickname “Benzine Betty.” In 1997, she retired from Chevron, which had by that time purchased Gulf Oil. In retirement, she occupied herself by traveling, dancing to Cajun music, crafting wreaths, spoiling her dogs, and spending time with her family, the activity she cherished most. Betty had a special place in her heart for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, on whom she loved to dote. She was also well known for her culinary skills, showing her love through Cajun cooking and fresh baked goods, which she was always willing to share. She even shipped baked goods and other treats as far as Iraq and Afghanistan, sending care packages to the troops during the Global War on Terror. Betty was a member of the Red Hat Society and a long-time a parishioner of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Groves.

Betty was preceded in death by her husband, William McFatter (Bill); parents, Blanche and Robert Menard; sister Rita Beaty and her husband, Howard; granddaughter, Amy Tweedel Read; and nephew, Steve Beaty. She is survived by her daughter, Kim Tweedel of Crystal Beach, TX; sons, Jimmy Tweedel and his wife Suzie of Spurger, TX, and Michael Tweedel of Groves, TX; grandsons, Nic Tweedel and his fiancée, Dante, of Houston, TX, Brennan Tweedel and his wife, Janette, of Spurger, TX, and Tyler Tweedel and his wife, Brooke, of Fairfax, VA; great-grandchildren, Peyton, Easton, and Asher Read and their father Daniel Read of Bridge City, TX; and nephew, Chris Beaty and his wife, Anne, of Bellevue, NE.

A special thanks from the family to the staff of Southeast Texas Hospice for their loving care.

In lieu of flowers, the family recommends donating to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 6704, Hagerstown, Maryland, 21741.

A gathering Mrs. McFatter’s family and friends will begin at 10:00 a.m., and her Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, December 11, 2025, at St. James Catholic Church, 3617 Gulfway Drive, Port Arthur. Her interment will follow at Calvary Cemetery, Port Arthur, under the direction of Broussard’s, 505 North 12^th Street, Nederland.