1876 - 1946

1894 - 1946

Ernest Moore "Dick" Viquesney and second wife Elizabeth "Betty" Sadler in later years.

"DICK" and "BETTY"

After the death of his first wife Cora Barnes in 1933 from diphtheria, Viquesney remarried in 1936 to Elizabeth Sadler. He and Betty spent 10 happy years together before her death in August 1946.

A postcard featuring Dick and Betty. Photo supplied by Robert L. Jackson.

Spencer Evening World, Oct. 23, 2017, from "75 Years Ago Today" (1942) article, submitted by Stan Griffith, Ellettsville, Indiana.

Although Viquesney loved his first wife Cora very much (her grave marker, "The Unveiling", was created by the artist and dedicated to her), it was clear he idolized Betty. In the photo above, he appears totally love-struck as she plays the organ. An accomplished musician, Betty was much in demand for concerts, conventions and restaurant engagements. She was even hired to play at funerals (left).

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Before Betty entered his life, Viquesney promoted nobody but himself, thus the  fliers above and below make clear her influence on him. There was no question she was an equal member of the team.

A 1942 Christmas card sent from ''Dick'' and ''Betty'' to contributor Robert L. Jackson's grandmother.

Photo and caption: Spencer Evening World.

For two years during World War II, Dick and Betty drove six nights a week from Spencer to Bloomington to entertain servicemen at the USO, missing only four scheduled nights during that time due to impassable roads. Viquesney blamed this for taking a toll on their health, and for Betty's untimely death in August, 1946.  Distraught and unable to carry on, Ernest Moore "Dick" Viquesney committed suicide on October 4, 1946, one day after the thirteenth anniversary of first wife Cora's death.