A Life Lived: Betty Winters remembered as quiet, soft spoken, and generous person

Published 5:53 pm Tuesday, December 13, 2022

Betty Grace Winters lived to be 91 years old, and family and friends remember her as  a quiet, soft-spoken person, who lived a simple life, but was very giving.

Her daughter, Kathy Osborne, described her mother as a very frugal person who lived a simple life. She enjoyed gardening, feeding the hummingbirds, and watching the wild turkeys and deer, which were plentiful at her Roan Mountain home.

In addition to her work at home, keeping house and being a mother to two children, Betty also worked at a number of other jobs in her younger years. She had worked at a factory job in North Carolina, at an apple orchard, cleaned cabins at Roan Mountain State Park, and her last job was as a cafeteria aide at Cloudland High School.

Kathy said her mother was a hard worker and a good Christian lady, who read her Bible every day, never talked about people, was faithful to her church and friends. A friend, Holly Deloach, wrote on Betty’s funeral home tribute page: “Thank you, sweet Betty, for the quiet lessons on how to be peaceful, gentle, humble and kind.”

Another family friend, Pat Haywood, shared: “I have fond memories of my Aunt Betty. She was so welcoming and sweet when my sister and I visited. She took us searching the hillside for teaberries, picking black raspberries, and exploring the creek. I never once heard her raise her voice or say one negative word about anyone. The world is far richer having had her in it for over 91 years.”

Kathy recalls that her mother was a very thoughtful person. “She sent a lot of cards, not just birthday and get-well cards, but a lot of ‘Thinking of you’ cards.

“Mom was a very good housekeeper and in her younger years was a good cook. After my dad passed, she didn’t cook as much. But, in her younger years she canned a lot, and she and dad raised hogs and chickens, and tended a garden. She was a hard worker and did all she could to give my brother and me a good home. She was the best,” said Kathy.

Betty attended Evergreen Free Will Baptist Church in Roan Mountain all her life, and had many special friends at the church. “She was a very loyal and dedicated member,” said Kathy.

Betty came from a very large family; she was one of 10 children. She was the last of her siblings to die. She was also preceded in death by her husband, Ralph, and her only son, Roger Winters.

It’s been said that the best attitude one can have is being humble, soft-spoken, kind, helpful, approachable, and friendly, yet professional. Betty Winters possessed all these qualities, which made her a much well-liked person and a good friend to so many.

Betty Winters was laid to rest at the Johnson Roan View Cemetery in Roan Mountain. It’s wonderful that she was loved by so many in her community and church. It speaks volumes about her character.