Memorial set for longtime Menifee resident Betty Bouris

Betty Bouris is seen in front of her ranch house on Zeiders Road in Menifee.

By Doug Spoon, Editor

The matriarch of one of Menifee’s pioneer families has left us with the passing of Betty Bouris Nov. 4 at age 94.

Betty was born on Oct. 9, 1931 in Tempe, Arizona and spent much of her childhood in Long Beach. She and her late husband Herk Bouris, whom she met at Perris High School, were married 54 years. They built a local farming business, with Herk and later his son Mike working the many large wheat fields that are a big part of Menifee’s agricultural legacy. The Bouris Ranch can still be seen on Zeiders Road just north of Keller Road.

Betty was very active in preserving Menifee’s history as a farming community. Many of her husband’s tractors and other farm machinery are still on site at the Bouris Ranch. Betty served on the board of the Menifee Valley Historical Society and co-authored a pictorial history book of Menifee with another pioneer resident, Elinor Martin.

Betty’s obituary on the Evans-Brown Mortuary website states the following:

“Throughout her life, Betty's sharp mind, talent with numbers, and ability to negotiate served her well in many roles, including as a bookkeeper for the farm and other local businesses and as the treasurer and secretary for many committees and non-profits. Betty was especially dedicated to preserving the history of her family and stories of Menifee Valley through co-authoring a pictorial history book of the area, sharing stories with local elementary school children, and serving as a docent for the Menifee History Museum.”

Former Menifee Mayor Bill Zimmerman has fond memories of Betty.

“Betty loved promoting Menifee’s history,” Zimmerman said. “She co-authored our book and enjoyed visiting school classrooms, sharing her first-hand stories about early farm life. Betty taught us so much and we’ll miss her kind support and valuable knowledge.”

More information from the Evans-Brown obituary:

“Betty is preceded in death by her husband Herk and her son Mike, and she is survived by her second husband, Ronald Wilkerson, her daughter Mary Carey, daughter-in-law Elese Bouris, and her four granddaughters -- Coleen Montgomery, Lynette Montgomery, Gwen Pool, and Megan Carey. Her great-grandchildren -- Dylan, Sydney, Max, Micah, Zoe, Evelyn, and Bennett -- brought immense joy to her later years.

“Betty will be profoundly missed, yet her positivity will continue to shine brightly in the hearts of the many people she loved.”

More information about the Bouris family and the history of Menifee can be found at the Menifee History Museum, which is located at 26301 Garbani Road. It is open from 1-4 p.m. on Sundays.

A celebration of Betty's life will be held at Canyon Lake Community Church on Friday, Nov. 21 at 11 a.m. with lunch to follow at Bouris Ranch. Guests can RSVP for the lunch at tinyurl.com/bettybouris.

Betty Bouris (center) talks with visitors to the Menifee History Museum. (File photo)