Lowell Thomas Yankey and Betty Cox Yankey, of Campbellsville, KY, devoted partners in life for more than 67 years, passed away just three days apart in August 2026. Betty passed away Tuesday, August 4, 2026 at the age of 87. Lowell followed on Friday, August 7, 2026 at the age of 92.
Lowell was born February 27, 1934, in Mackville, Kentucky, the youngest child of James Debo Yankey and Myrtle Edwards Yankey. He grew up on his family's farm in Washington County and graduated from Mackville High School in 1952. He later served his country honorably in the United States Army. His military service began at Fort Knox and then took him to Germany, where he drove tanks, before he returned home to Kentucky and enrolled at Campbellsville College.
Betty Lou Cox was born November 29, 1938, in Bardstown, Kentucky, to Cecil Cox and Anna Ruth McGee Bryant. She grew up on a farm in the Bardstown area and graduated from Old Kentucky Home High School in 1957. Betty enjoyed music from an early age. A gifted pianist who could play by ear, she also loved to sing and dance.
It was at Campbellsville College that Betty met the man with whom she would spend the rest of her life. Lowell was known as Tom in those days, and Betty had heard plenty about the new Yankey boy before she finally saw him at a baseball game. Once she did, she decided to get his attention in classic Betty fashion: she threw a rock at him. It worked.
They married on January 30, 1959, while still college students. What began as a college romance became a marriage that carried them through 67 years, one son—Alan, three grandchildren, several careers, moves across the country and beyond, and a lifetime of adventures together.
Lowell earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Campbellsville College in 1961 and later earned a master’s degree from Western Kentucky University. He began his professional career in education, serving as principal of Campbellsville Junior High School throughout the 1960s before becoming principal of Campbellsville High School. After the family moved to Elizabethtown in 1971, he continued his work as a school principal.
When Lowell and Betty returned to Campbellsville in 1974, Lowell began a new chapter with Fruit of the Loom. He became the Vice President of Manufacturing and built a long career, earning the respect of the many people he hired and worked alongside. His career eventually took the family to Harlingen, Texas, and later to Grand Cayman. He traveled extensively for his work throughout Central America and the Caribbean serving in his VP role and as Production General Manager before retiring in 1998.
Lowell believed deeply in hard work, but those closest to him knew an especially gentle and generous man. He was meticulous, dependable and always neatly dressed, but beneath that polished exterior was a soft heart. If someone he loved was traveling, Lowell wanted to know when they arrived safely. He was a provider and caretaker by nature and wanted the people he loved to be safe, comfortable, and well looked after.
Lowell remained deeply connected to Campbellsville and Kentucky throughout his life. He was a former member of the Citizens Bank Board of Directors. He was a member of the Campbellsville Country Club, loved golf, enjoyed attending professional golf events at Valhalla, and was an avid University of Kentucky sports fan. While Lowell lived in Texas, his longtime friend Thomas R recorded Kentucky basketball games and sent them to him so he would not miss his Wildcats. He and Alan regularly called one another to discuss UK basketball and football game outcomes.
Lowell treasured the friendships he built over a lifetime, whether over golf and tournaments like the Duffers, mornings at Moore’s Shoe Shop, lunches at Jeff’s Food Mart, UK games, or simply sitting down to catch up with people he had known for decades. He was quick with a joke, loved to playfully tease and tussle with those he loved, and never lost his instinct to share whatever he had. He also had a formidable sweet tooth—a trait Betty happily shared.
Betty’s determination and work ethic were evident from the beginning. While completing her degree at Campbellsville College, she worked in a local law office, where she excelled at shorthand, typing, and the demanding business of keeping up with a busy attorney. During those same years, she and Lowell were building their young family. Alan Scott Yankey was born October 22, 1962, while Betty was still in college. With a new baby at home, Betty continued her studies, determined to finish what she had started.
Betty graduated from Campbellsville College in 1963 and earned her Master of Arts degree from Western Kentucky University in 1968. Education became one of the great callings of her life. She taught business education, typing, and business law in Campbellsville and Taylor County schools, taught during the family’s years in Elizabethtown, served as an instructor of business at Campbellsville College, and later taught at the Marine Military Academy while living in Harlingen.
But to generations of Taylor County students, Betty was also Coach Yankey. She coached the Taylor County High School cheerleaders from 1975 through 1989 and became sponsor of the school’s drill team in 1980. Her teams competed successfully at state and national levels, with squads placing as high as second in state competition and tenth nationally. Betty expected hard work, discipline, and attention to detail. In 2024, Taylor County Schools inducted Betty into its Hall of Greats for Athletics in recognition of the lasting mark she left on its cheerleading and dance programs. Yet the demanding coach was also extraordinarily playful.
Betty was funny, feisty, witty, spunky and full of life. She loved music and dancing, especially the songs of the 1950s, and she could turn an ordinary family visit into an occasion for music. She played piano and enjoyed playing duets with her granddaughters. She loved thrift stores and garage sales and had a knack for finding what she considered treasures. She enjoyed crosswords, reading, Dancing with the Stars, aqua exercise, Silver Sneakers and learning, as well as teaching the latest line dances she discovered. Family members knew the familiar Betty pose: a little dance, a pointed finger, a wink and a grin.
Betty continued sharing that energy with others well into retirement. Long before she became a resident of Bluegrass Way, she volunteered there, playing piano and music for residents, dancing with them and leading exercise activities. She brought them the same music, movement, laughter, and unmistakable spark that followed her throughout her life. Even as her memory faded in later years, Betty’s love of music remained; put on her beloved 1950s music and she would sing along, snap her fingers, move to the beat and smile.
For all they accomplished individually, the center of Lowell and Betty’s life was their family. They adored their son Alan and were immensely proud of the man he became. His death on October 23, 2025 brought profound sorrow. They loved Alan’s wife, their three grandchildren and their great-grandchildren, and modeled for them both how to work hard and have a good laugh.
After years spent building careers and living in Kentucky, Texas, and Grand Cayman, they returned home to Campbellsville in retirement. Eventually they settled into their home on the lake, where they enjoyed one of the gentlest chapters of their long marriage. They dearly loved their dog, Sugar, who became a familiar companion on their walks around the lake. Lowell and Betty could often be found there walking hand in hand. They danced together in their living room, teased one another, and were known to fall asleep holding hands.
As they grew older, that devotion never disappeared. Lowell was always looking for Betty, asking where she was and whether she was all right, reaching for her hand when she was near. Even during his final days, when eating had become difficult, caregivers discovered that telling him “Betty wants you to eat” could sometimes persuade him.
Their family finds great comfort in the Christian faith Lowell and Betty shared, believing that the two are holding hands again now and reunited with Alan. Betty professed her faith in Christ at Mill Creek Baptist Church on April 20, 1952, and the two were members of Campbellsville Baptist Church, where Lowell was baptized as an adult and remained active in a Sunday School class he treasured for many years. He also supported the work of The Gideons and the distribution of Bibles.
Lowell & Betty Survivors:
Their daughter-in-law: Carol Yankey of Overland Park, Kansas
3 grandchildren: Julie Kingsland & husband Corey of Fort Worth, Texas; Tyler Yankey of Concrete, Washington; and Kristin Disberger & husband Jordan of Kansas City, Missouri
6 great-grandchildren: Davi Heard, Hadley Yankey, Dejanelle Kingsland, Charles Yankey, Elizabeth Kingsland and Theophilus Kingsland
Betty Survivors:
8 siblings: Dolly Ruby of LaGrange, Patsy Fiedler of Bardstown, Bonnie Burkhead Folz of Lexington, Sharlene Broaddus of Bloomfield, June Porter of Taylorsville, Becky Foster of Bardstown, J.P. “Tex” Bryant II of Bardstown, and Paul Bryant of Bardstown
Several nieces, nephews and other relatives & friends
They were preceded in death by their beloved son, Alan Scott Yankey.
Betty was also preceded in death by her parents, Cecil Cox and Anna Ruth McGee Bryant; her stepfather, Joseph P. “J.P.” Bryant; and her sister, Rhoda Jean Crenshaw.
Lowell was preceded in death by his parents, James Debo Yankey and Myrtle Edwards Yankey, and his 16 brothers and sisters: John Yankey, Charles Zomer “Zomer” Yankey, William Bryan “Bryan” Yankey, Beatrice Grace “Grace” Yankey, Ovie Mae Yankey, Willie Yankey, Carl Yankey, Elizabeth Yankey, Ella Gladys “Gladys” Yankey, an infant sibling, Woodrow Wilson “Wilson” Yankey, James Debo Yankey Jr., Dorothy Louise Yankey, George Harold Yankey, Mary Frances Yankey, and Billy Rue Yankey.
Funeral Service: Saturday, August 15, 2026 at 1:00pmET at Parrott & Ramsey Funeral Home in Campbellsville.with Dr. Dwayne Norman officiating
Burial: Brookside Cemetery with full military honors by the Veterans Honor Guard
Visitation: After 10:00amET on Saturday at Parrott & Ramsey Funeral Home
Pallbearers: Jordan Disberger, Harold Wilkerson, Thomas R. McMahan, George Wise, Willard Smith, Tyler Yankey and John Waldrop.
Expressions of sympathy are requested to take the form of donations to The Gideons for the placement of Bibles and may be made through Parrott & Ramsey Funeral Home.
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