Bettie grew up in Van Buren County, Arkansas in the 1920’s and 30’s.

Her parents were Archibald Stewart Alexander and Athen Nancy Swilling.

She married Joe Frank Stobaugh on July 16, 1940 when she was 16 and he was 19.

Together, they had five daughters - Nancy Ann, Stewart, Martha Jo, Mary, and Lisa; who gave her six grandchildren while she was alive, and three more after her death - (born as) Nancy Lee and John Hunter Matthews (twins), Annah Green, Emily Athen Tohline, Elizabeth Baguley, Carrie Willis, Molly Alexander McCaskill, Chris Baguley, and Roddy Jones McCaskill Jr.

Bettie and Joe seemed to have had a challenging start to things, and after Stewart was born they divorced (2/25/1943). However, ten years later they remarried (October 1951) and had Martha, Mary, and Lisa.

In October of 1960 Joe was a passenger in a vehicle that rear-ended a large truck; a fatal accident that left Joe critically wounded. After weeks in the hospital and numerous surgeries, Joe contracted a staph infection and died on December 13. Shortly after his death, Bettie’s sister, Nancy Ann, came to live with her and the five Stobaugh girls at 1923 Kavanaugh Blvd in Little Rock.