Betty Jane Walker

Betty Jane Walker of Manila and Columbus, Miss., passed away at her home on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024.

Betty was born Nov. 24, 1930, in Manila to John and Hester Williams. She was a lifelong resident of Manila and graduated from Manila High School. In 1948, she married Jack Walker and had two daughters – Junie and Sandy.

While her daughters were young, she was a dedicated stay-at-home mother. In 1974, she enrolled in nursing school at Mississippi Community College and went on to become a respected nurse for many years. In 2007, she was named one of the Top Ten Nurses in the state of Arkansas by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Betty was a multi-generational resident and farmer of Mississippi County. In 1963, Betty and Jack built their home on the Williams family farm where she was born. She had a great respect for the land and took much pride in putting the Williams family farm back together.

Betty had an adventurous spirit and loved to travel, especially to the beach. She had many talents and held many interests over the course of her long life. She had a deep love of animals and was a talented gardener and seamstress.

Betty will be deeply missed by all who loved her, and the world will surely be a quieter and little less colorful place without her presence.

In addition to her parents, Betty was preceded in death by her husband, Douglas Eugene (Jack) Walker; her sister, June Kinchen of Fredericksburg, Texas; her son-in-law, Woody Matthews, and grandson-in-law, Scott McIntyre, both of Columbus, Miss.

Betty is survived by her daughters, Junie Matthews and Sandy (Charlie) Brown of Columbus, Miss.; grandchildren, Deena McIntyre, Andrew (Ashley) Matthews and Libby (Tad) Robertson of Columbus, Miss.; and great-grandchildren, Aven Matthews, Jack Griffin Matthews and Walker Robertson – all of Columbus, Miss.

Funeral services will be Saturday, Sept. 14, at 2 p.m. at Community United Methodist Church in Manila with pastor Tony Huffman officiating. The family will receive friends from 1 p.m. until service time at the church.

Memorials may be made to Community UMC, 3908 W. State Hwy. 18, Manila AR 72442. Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.memorialfuneral.net.