Betty Williams

Betty Jane Barrow Williams lived to be 96 years old, and until the end she was inspiring in her determination to remain mentally engaged and to be the loving matriarch of her family.  Her children and grandchildren each had a chance to be with her near the end, as she was with all of us at our beginnings.  Nothing could be more loving and profound than getting to hug and kiss our mom and exchange with her the words that are so important to say while we can.  We are eternally grateful for that opportunity.  

Betty was born on July 11, 1925, in Beaumont, Texas at Hotel Dieu.  She graduated from Beaumont High School in 1942 into a world torn by WWII, so Betty immediately went to work to support herself, her mother, and siblings.  During this time, she worked for three butcher shops, and those skills came in handy later on in life since she married a deer hunter who “filled his tags” every year.

After Betty and JT’s three children Diane, Nelda and Art were born, the whole family enjoyed annual adventures in the Studebaker, driving up to explore the “wild west” states of Utah, New Mexico and Colorado.   To us kids, life seemed simple and easy then since our mom and dad protected us from life’s troubles and taught us to love the outdoors – canoeing, fishing, camping, and exploring the natural wonders of the world, sometimes from our own property on the bayou.  Our mom loved the road trips that were opportunities for all of us to share in the discovery of scenic vistas and historic lands that expanded our view of the world, and she delighted in having a simple picnic that she produced out of the Coleman cooler while we were parked alongside mountain streams.

Betty enjoyed sewing and kept an immaculate house that she was always proud of, one time being named Best Homemaker in Lumberton by the local paper.  Evidence of this can be verified by the unnatural attachment she had to every Tupperware product ever made.  She was active in her church, sang in the choir, and taught Sunday School classes her entire adult life.  Until the day she died, she had her very well-read Bible by her side and read her scheduled lessons each day.  

Betty is preceded in death by her husband of 65 very happy years, John Thomas Williams, her beloved daughter-in-law, Theresa Williams; brothers, John Clark and Perry Adams; and her much-loved sister, Joyce Daniels of Louisiana.  She is also preceded by her parents, Minnie Faye Stanford and Lynn Barrow.

Survivors include her son, Art Williams of Lumberton; daughters, Diane Williams of Beaumont and Nelda Williams of San Francisco; her grandchildren, Jonathan Williams of Austin and Erica Lux of Georgia; siblings David Barrow, Jerry Adams, and Robert Adams; sister-in-law, Carolyn Clark; and her extended family of two great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. 

Betty will also be missed by her close friend since high school, Eula Mae Bowers who she spoke with every day.  Eula Mae said it was quite a challenge trying to compete with Betty’s quick mind while solving puzzles together on Wheel of Fortune. Their shared motto was, “We’ve always done the best we can,” and that is absolutely how Betty kept moving forward for 96 years.  God bless our mom.

A memorial gathering is not planned at this time, and her committal was a local family-only gathering at Broussard’s Mortuary.