Betty Joan Whaley-Williams

Betty Joan Whaley-Williams, 79, of rural La Porte, Indiana, passed away peacefully at home on Thursday, October 29, 2026, surrounded by her children. She was born on August 20, 1947, in Gary, Indiana, to Sim Wallace Riley and Betty L. (Ele) Riley. Sharing her mother's name, she was known to her friends and family as Joanie.

Joanie started her career working in the business office of the family business, Liverpool Paint & Hardware in Lake Station, Indiana. Being good with managing finances, she was also the office manager for Butch Riley Septic & Sewer, and moved with the business to Westville, Indiana, when her father's hardware store closed in the early 1990s. A few years later, Joanie changed careers and became a correctional officer with the Westville Correctional Center, where she worked until her retirement in 2013 after 17 years of service.

In her free time, Joanie enjoyed doing puzzles of all kinds and tending to her several acre, beautifully landscaped yard. She enjoyed painting the interior of her home herself and would update the color of her walls every few years. She was so precise that she could skip the taping process. Joanie took pride in keeping an immaculately clean and tidy home, but never minded the little messes left behind from frequent visits by her grandson Donnie and her grandpup Bethany.

She is survived by her children, Maria M. Alvarado and Arthur W. Whaley (wife, Laura Weaver); her stepchildren, Eric Williams, Alicia Williams (fiancé, Chance Harden), Dustin Williams (fiancée, Kandice Scheffer), and Andrea Williams; her grandchildren, Jennifer Cortes (Damian), Stephanie Alvarado, Ricardo Alvarado (Gaea), and Juliana Lopez; her step-grandchildren, Connor Grubbs, Kenzie Grubbs, Donnie Williams, Allyson Williams, and Skaicin Williams; her great-grandchildren, Sebastian Cortes, Cecilia Cortes, Karley Johnson, and Sophia San Martin; her siblings, Wallace "Butch" Riley (Margaret "Blondie") and Kim Robinson; and beloved grandpup, Bethany Weaver-Whaley.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Keith Robert Williams; her son, Joseph Gene Castellanos; her stepdaughter, Kari Williams; her step-grandson, Jaxcin Williams; her parents, Sim Wallace and Betty L. Riley; and her sister, Donna Riley.

Visitation will be held on Friday, November 6, 2026, from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM at Cutler Funeral Home and Cremation Center, 2900 Monroe Street, La Porte, Indiana, with a memorial service to begin at 6:00 PM.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to either the Heart to Heart Hospice Foundation (www.htohfoundation.org) or the Indy Great Pyrenees Rescue (www.igpr.org) in memory of Betty Joan Whaley-Williams. Online condolences may be shared at www.cutlerfuneral.com.

Finally, the family would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Heart to Heart Hospice, and especially Courtney, Jen, and Izzy, for all of their kindness and support in the final few weeks of Joanie's life.