Bettye Williams
1942 ~ 2024
Date of Death: January 6, 2024
In profound sadness, the staff of Veasley Funeral Home & Cremations, Inc. want to express our sincere condolences to the Williams Family. Bettye's earthly temple is now resting in the care of Veasley Funeral Home. Revelations 21:4 says, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death; nor sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away." Be assured that in the days ahead you will surely gain strength from the memories of Bettye Williams.
Sincerely,
Derrick Veasley ~ Director
Henry Veasley ~ Director
Pastor E.C. Maltbia ~ Chaplain
Bettye J. (Jean) Hopkins Williams, B.S., RN, was born on June 18, 1942 in Conway, Arkansas, to the union of Martha Marie Halcrombe and Isaac Mutt Hopkins. She departed this life peacefully on Saturday, January 6, 2024 at her home in West Hollywood, California. She was preceded in death by her natural parents, and her stepfather Raymond Easterwood, Sr. She is survived by her husband of 56 years, Jerry Dean Williams, one sister Doris L. Easterwood, of Atlanta, Georgia, two brothers, Larry J. Easterwood, of Carson, California and Raymond Easterwood, Jr., of Little Rock, Arkansas, along with a host of relatives and friends.
Bettye was baptized at Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church and remained a faithful member of the church until she moved from the state of Arkansas.
Bettye excelled in academics and advanced in school beyond her age. She attended the Pilgrim Rest School through the 9th grade, and then transferred to Pine Street High School in Conway, Arkansas, where she graduated from high school at age 15. She attended Arkansas AM&N College (currently University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff) and received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology with emphasis in microbiology.
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She moved to Wasco, California after graduation from AM&N and lived with her uncle, Curtis Gault, while attending nursing school in Bakersfield, California where she received a Registered Nurse Degree. She met the love of her life, Jerry Dean Williams, while living in Wasco, California. She began her career as a Registered Nurse at Kern County Hospital in Bakersfield, California, and not long therefore, relocated to Los Angeles, California and began her career as a Registered Nurse in the Orthopedic Surgery Ward at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Hollywood, California, later re-named Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and moved to Los Angeles, California.
She remained a loyal and dedicated employee of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and her patients for 35 years until her retirement in 2001. During her long career at Cedars-Sinai she was present during the hospital’s growth from a modest facility to a major and highly ranked medical center including the opening of a large medical complex in Los Angeles, California that changed to its current name Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
In addition to being very intelligent, Bettye was pleasant and witty and enjoyed card games (especially pinochle), board games (especially Scrabble), and chess to a lesser extent. She also enjoyed knitting and in later years computer games that stimulated the mind. She enjoyed fishing and was an avid sports fan, particularly football and basketball.
After retirement, she and Jerry enjoyed traveling by car with Jerry as the driver and Bettye as the navigator. Â Although small in stature, Bettye had a large presence, enjoyed people, loved to talk, and was a fun person to be around and will be sorely missed by all that knew her.Â
Walk through viewing for family and friends will be held Friday, January 26, 2024 from 12:00pm to 4:30pm. The immediate family will receive friends from 3:30pm to 4:30pm at Veasley Funeral Home.
Celebration of life service will be held Saturday, January 27, 2024, 1:00pm at Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church, 53 Pilgrim Rest Rd., Greenbrier, Arkansas.
Committal service and final resting place will be held at Pilgrim Rest Cemetery.