Poplar Bluff’s first female mayor, Betty Absheer, will be honored for her servant’s heart when the Altrusa Room is dedicated in her memory at 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 22, in the Twin Towers, 506 Bartlett St.
The 85-year-old community leader died Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. She was quoted as saying, “I have always been taught to serve, volunteer and help people.” She made her life an example of a servant’s heart by sharing her talents with the community, those who knew her said.
Altrusa International of Poplar Bluff and the Poplar Bluff Housing Authority are inviting the public to the dedication. The housing authority is recognizing Absheer for her devotion to Poplar Bluff with a commemorative inscription.
The Altrusa Room was set up by the Housing Authority in recognition of Altrusa’s work for the Twin Towers cafeteria and social area during the 1970s. Absheer worked with the housing authority on several projects in the Twin Towers.
Absheer was a member of Altrusa International for 45 years, serving in many leadership roles, including president of the Poplar Bluff Club, governor of District 8 (Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas) and vice president on the International Board. She visited clubs in all four states and traveled to national and international conventions. While attending the International Altrusa Convention in New Zealand in 1995, she had her photo taken with the first lady mayor of Christchurch.
“It is being rededicated in memory of Betty and all the work she has done for her community and Altrusa,” said Nila Keller, president of Altrusa International of Poplar Bluff. “Please come celebrate Betty Absheer’s accomplishments with us.”
Poplar Bluff City Council members elected Absheer to five one-year terms as mayor in April of 1993, 1996, 2000, 2006 and 2015.
Absheer was appointed as the Ward 3 council member in September 1989 and elected to the remaining two years of the term in April 1990 — the first of nine successful elections as Ward 3’s councilwoman, serving for more than 25 years until her retirement in April of 2015.
In May 2020, she was awarded the Marilyn J. Bell Humanitarian Award presented by Altrusa District Eight. The award is designed to recognize an Altrusan who makes a lasting contribution to community service as a result of their involvement with Altrusa.
Absheer was a member of the First Church of God. She enjoyed all types of music and shared her God-given gift of singing for numerous weddings and funerals. She was part of the Diamond Gospel Quartet for 40 years.
In 1988, then-Sheriff Kenneth Link was looking for help transporting female prisoners, when he approached Absheer to become a fully commissioned deputy sheriff, making her the first female deputy in Butler County. Her family often joked about her carrying a gun in her purse, but her badge, gun and handcuffs were prized possessions.