Roberta “Bertie” Meneley Dettman was born in Gonzales, Texas, on November 12, 1925, to John Carl Meneley and Margaret Susie Carleton Meneley. Bertie was the ninth child in a family of ten. Her life was filled with much love as well as plenty of people telling her what to do. Large families were the norm then, and children from families of one were pitied. Later the family moved to Wrightsboro in Gonzales County. It was there that Bertie started to school. After the death of Johnny, one of her older brothers, the family moved to the Bronson Ranch, which was also in Gonzales County. Three of the younger Meneley children attended Teas School while two older sisters rode horseback to school in Westhoff. After Teas School, all of the children went to school in Westhoff. After the Sample School District consolidated with Smiley, Bertie graduated from Smiley High School in 1943.

Following her high school graduation, Bertie began teaching at Teas School (which she had attended in 1935 and 1936) just four days before her eighteenth birthday. After teaching there for two years, she went to Port Aransas and taught there one year. Then she taught in Placedo in Victoria County. During these years, during the summers Bertie went to college in San Marcos at what is now Texas State. Finally, in 1947 and 1948 she was able to attend college for a full year. During that year, on a blind date, Bertie met her husband, Henry Roland (Paul) Dettman, who was from Stockdale. They were married on August 21, 1948, in Floresville, Texas. Bertie finally finished her degree in 1959. Bertie and Paul lived in Stockdale for over 53 years where they raised their daughters and adopted son. For 33 years, Paul and a business partner owned and operated the Chevrolet dealership in Stockdale. In the 1960s, Bertie began teaching in the Nixon ISD where she taught for 25 years. Stockdale was an ideal small town for raising a family, but after Paul passed away on February 15, 2002, Bertie moved to their house on Lake LBJ. She felt that living in Stockdale without Paul was just not the same.

Bertie’s family came to Texas in 1826. Her paternal great grandfather, Sion R. Bostick, fought in the battle of San Jacinto and was one of three men who captured Santa Anna after the battle. Her maternal great grandfather, William Lewis Carleton, was a Methodist circuit rider who served as a chaplain for the Confederacy, and he brought his family to Texas after the Civil War. Because of these deep Texas roots, Bertie was always interested in Texas history. She belonged to the Miss Ima Hogg Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. She also belonged to the Highland Lakes Retired Teachers Association and Grace Methodist Church in Granite Shoals, Texas.

Bertie was preceded in death by her husband, their adopted son, Wylie Paul Dettman, both her parents, and all of her siblings (brothers Joe, Johnny, Allen, and David Meneley; sisters Margaret Garrett, Ruth Tumlinson Owen, Norah Ledwig, Sarah Regner, and Rebecca Waller).

Her survivors are her daughters Mary (Jim) Milner of Meadows Place, Texas, and Laura (Ben) Lutek of McKinney, Texas. She is also survived by four grandchildren: Carly Milner of Houston, Texas; Kristin Lutek and Kate Lutek, both of Dallas, Texas; and Trent Lutek of Boulder, Colorado. Bertie is survived also by one sister-in-law, Dorothy Selma (Thomas) Richards, and one brother-in-law, Lee Waller, Sr., as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Bertie felt that even though growing up during the Depression was hard, God was always good to her. In lieu of flowers, Bertie requested that donations be made to either the Bain-Chandler Library in Stockdale (602 West Main Street, Stockdale 78160), the Stockdale Cemetery Association (113 Cemetery Street, Stockdale 78160, c/o Shirley Lambeck), or Grace United Methodist Church (4007 County Road 416, Granite Shoals, Texas 78654).

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