Betty Lou Leishear Loun

Betty Lou Leishear Loun, 82, of Waynesville, passed away on Sunday, December 14, 2025. A native of Fredrick, MD, she was the daughter of the late Chester Miller and Ethyl Mae Zepp Leishear. For several years she was the Executive Secretary for Lauren Shriver at NASA and a member of Long’s Chapel. She and her husband Al went on their first date to a drag race and were married only 3 months afterwards.

She is survived by her husband of 62 years, Al Sawyer Loun; daughter, Wendy (Ron) Chalmers of Waynesville; son, Victor (Patty) Loun of Colorado Springs; granddaughter, Jade Nichole Loun; grandson, Dakota (Aylah) Christian Loun and two brothers, Jack and Donald Leishear.

A Memorial Service will be held at 2:00PM on Friday, December 19th in the Chapel of Wells Funeral Home of Waynesville with Rev. Christopher Westmoreland officiating. The family will receive friends for one hour prior to the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to FUR (Feline Urgent Rescue) 38 Safe Haven Drive, Waynesville, NC 28786.