Betty Jean Bridges Whisnant, age 82, departed this earthly life and entered her eternal home on Friday, November 6, 2026. She passed away at home, surrounded by those she loved most.
Funeral services honoring Ms. Betty’s life will be held at 12 noon on Monday, November 9, 2026, at Camp Ground Community Church, with Bro. Toby Bates and Bro. Steve McKee officiating. Visitation will be held at the church on Sunday evening, November 8, from 5:30 PM until 8 PM and will resume Monday morning at 10 AM until service time. Burial will follow in Oak Grove Methodist Church Cemetery in Pocahontas, Tennessee, where a brief graveside service will be held.
Born September 6, 1944, in Mobile, Alabama, Ms. Betty was the daughter of the late John Wilson Bridges and Callie Pearl Garrett Bridges. She attended Walnut High School and worked briefly in the clothing manufacturing industry. Many folks in Tennessee came to know her through Crossroads Country Kitchen, which she owned and operated for fifteen years before her retirement. To those who came through the door, Ms. Betty was a familiar face who always had a smile or a word to share. Her pies earned her quite a reputation, and folks came from all around to buy one of her famous fruitcakes for a special occasion.
A member of Camp Ground Community Church, Ms. Betty was strong-willed, independent, and the kind of lady you remembered. At home, she enjoyed watching wrestling, especially with her granddog, Smokey, keeping her company. Her greatest joy, though, was being Mamaw Betty to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They knew how much she loved having them around, and they also knew Mamaw would tell them exactly what they needed to hear. A little tough love was as much a part of her as the good heart behind it.
Ms. Betty had a way of recognizing what someone needed. She fed many hungry people. She took time to talk with folks who needed company and shared a laugh with those who could use one. Her own family knew the comfort of turning to her, and they will miss her familiar voice and the place she held among them. As they grieve, they find peace in knowing that Ms. Betty is resting from her labors in the heavenly home her Savior, Jesus Christ, prepared for her.
Those left to cherish her memory include her two daughters, Wanda Howell (Ricky) and Charity Cooper (Jason), her sole surviving sister, Linda Ragan, and a special niece, Ashley Beam (Travis). She also leaves seven grandchildren, Chris, Nicole, Phillip, Callie, Chloe, Dakota, and Ashton, as well as fifteen great-grandchildren, with one more on the way, and a wide circle of extended family and friends.
In addition to her parents, Ms. Betty was preceded in death by four brothers, John A. Jackson, Donald Jackson, Howard Bridges, and Harold Bridges, and two sisters, Elizabeth Hopper and Lila Bridges.
Serving as pallbearers will be Chris Howell, Ben Irvin, Phillip Howell, Jordan Denette, Spencer Wilmeth, Ashton Cooper, Travis Beam, and JR Bridges.
The family asks that memorial donations in Ms. Betty’s honor be made to a Parkinson’s disease foundation of the donor’s choice.
Ripley Funeral Home is honored to serve Ms. Betty’s family.
