Elizabeth Ann Tucker β better known around Starkville for the past five decades as Betty, Miss Betty or Mama Betty β died peacefully on December 18 at Sanctuary Hospice House in Tupelo after a short illness.
Three weeks ago, she celebrated her 90th birthday with her children and grandchildren at her home, a reunion that stretched over four days. She was in good health and excellent spirits. It was an observance of a life well-lived.
She was born in Clarksdale, one of two children of Gus and Catherine Brown. She developed a deep and abiding religious faith as a young woman, which would be the guiding focus of her life. She also loved music and was delighted when her parents gave her a piano for her 18th birthday.
She met Duane, her future husband, on the Clarksdale tennis courts when they were teenagers. They married when she was 19 and he was 21.
The couple moved to Starkville in 1969, when Duane was transferred to the state headquarters of the Cooperative Extension Service. They raised their two sons here and attended church at Meadowview Baptist, where Betty played the piano and organ. She also taught piano lessons to dozens of local students.
Later, after her children were grown, she volunteered and served on the board at what is now the Starkville Pregnancy Care Center. For the past several years, she has taught Sunday School at Bridgeway Church, hosting Saturday Bible study at her home.
One of her chief passions was Mississippi State sports, particularly football and baseball. She and Duane held season tickets for decades. She attended games with her friends and routinely called her son for post-game discussions.
She is preceded in death by Duane, who passed away in 2011. They were married for 56 years.
Betty is survived by her son Shane, his wife Marsha and their two children, Ansel and Olin; and by her son Neely, his wife Carol and their three children, Chipo, Paige and Drew.
A funeral service will be held at Bridgeway Church in Starkville at 2 p.m. on Sunday, December 22. The visitation will be at 1 p.m. Graveside services will follow at Odd Fellows Cemetery on University Drive. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations in her name be made to the Starkville Pregnancy Care Center or to Bridgeway Church.
