Velita Mae (Batty) Willard, 92 passed away at home in Medford, Oregon surrounded by her family on July 5th, 2026. 

She was born March 1, 1934 in Coquille, Oregon to Ernest Gerald and Venita Bell (Fox) Batty. She grew up in Coquille and graduated from Coquille High School. She participated in tennis, cheerleading, debate and was a class representative. She was also very involved in Job’s Daughters. On May 23,1953 she married her high school sweetheart William “Bill” Earl Willard in Coquille. They were married until his death, 2 weeks shy of their 55th wedding anniversary.

Throughout her life she worked as a grocery clerk at a small corner store with her mom, a Secretary to different bank presidents and the President of OTI College, traveled selling life insurance, department of corrections secretary, ended her career working for the state of Oregon in Salem, Albany and Medford for 10 years as a secretary for DHS.

Velita enjoyed spending time with family and friends, watching her kids participate in sports, watching ball games both in person and on TV (Travis Kelce was her favorite football player), her magazines, flowers and traveling.

Velita is survived by daughters and sons-in-law, Lorita and Mick Cushman of Medford, Ore., and Juli and Bill Miller of Weatherford, Texas; son, Bob of Medford, Ore; foster-son and daughter-in-law, Bruce and Sue Knipe of Camano Island, Wash.; grandchildren, Greg and Steven Miller, Mac and Shenandoah Knipe; great grandson Damien Huddleston. Nieces Patty (Zeller) Jones, Marcia (Zeller) Mitchell, Sharon (Zeller) Bolan. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, her sister Ernestine (Batty) Kennedy, son William Gerald “Jerry”, grandson James “Jim” Huddleston, Nephew Gary Carroll, Niece Diane (Zeller) Gavik.

Services will be held at Perl Funeral Home in Medford on Friday, July 17th at 3:00 pm, a no host dinner will follow at Black Bear restaurant. All are welcome.

A second service will be held at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, July 20th