Bette Sommers

Bette Jo Powledge Sommers, 92, wife of Oscar “Jack” Sommers passed peacefully on March 18, 2019 at Brenham Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Visitation with the family will be from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. Thursday at Memorial Oaks Chapel, 1306 W. Main, Brenham. The funeral service is scheduled for Friday, March 22, 2019 at the First Baptist Church, 303 N. Market, Brenham at 10:00 am. with Charles Matejowsky and Troy Sikes officiating. Burial will be following the service at Prairie Lea Cemetery.

Mrs. Sommers was born on October 11, 1927 in Navasota, Texas to Joe Mickle Powledge and Bertie Mae Wooderson Powledge. Bette was a true beauty that graduated from Navasota High School and swept rancher Jack Sommers off his feet when he returned from WWII. They married on June 5, 1948 at First Baptist Church in Navasota.

Bette was a homemaker, being ever supportive of her four children and their many activities and was a loving wife of a rancher and entrepreneur. She was an excellent seamstress, sewing clothing and costumes for her family and friends. Bette could look at a dress in a magazine and replicate it with precision for her girls.

Bette was a wonderful cook and was a talented interior decorator. She and Jack enjoyed entertaining friends in their home. She often shared her talents with her friends who trusted her help and advice in party planning of their own. Her children created a cookbook of her recipes to honor her and in hopes of carrying her love of cooking for loved ones into the future. Holidays were always memorable events with her in charge.

Bette worked alongside her husband in their Pine & Calico Antiques store in Brenham and they made many antique buying trips through the years. She was so knowledgeable in primitive Texas antiques that she was able to serve as a purchasing agent for the Independence Heritage Society’s Cole’s House and school building at Old Baylor in Independence Texas. She also served as a docent there.

Bette and Jack loved traveling through many states first with their children, then in later years, just the two of them in their RV, seeing the sites and making life-long friends along the way.

After moving a German farmhouse to their ranch in Old Washington, Texas and restoring it to hold their own collection of antiques, she created Sommerside Bed & Breakfast. Guests enjoyed Bette and Jack’s hospitality and often asked for her recipes to take with them. She and Jack kept a vegetable garden and Bette had a love for growing antique roses.

An active member at First Baptist Church in Brenham until she could no longer attend, she expertly held down the back pew while Jack sang in the choir!

She is survived by her children Gail Baker, Sunday Sommers, Colonel Oscar L. “Jack” Sommers III, and Ginny Gaskamp. Sons in law David Rosen and Donald Gaskamp, daughter in law Marilyn Sommers. Sisters in law Audrey Boney, Elaine Sommers and Darlene Powledge, Grandchildren Lauren Baker and Martin Martinez, Ashley Sommers, Colt Sommers and wife Samantha Sommers, Jacob Gaskamp and wife Faith Gaskamp, Samuel Gaskamp, great grandchildren Zaden Moon, Nolan Branon, Layla Martinez, Jaclyn Sommers and Mateo Martinez. Nephews and nieces include Craig Powledge, Lauri McCabe, Linda Ware, Kenneth Sommers, Jeff Sommers, Ross Sommers, Brian Boney and Bonnie Burger.

Serving as pall bearers are Ken Sommers, Jeff Sommers, Jake Gaskamp, Sam Gaskamp and Captain Dan LaPorte. Honorary pall bearers are Ross Sommers and Doyle Dahmann.

Memorials may be directed to First Baptist Church of Brenham.

Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Memorial Oaks Chapel, 979-836-4564. To post a tribute to the family, visit: www.memorialoakschapel.com.

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