Mary Elizabeth “Beth” White, born October 19, 1966, in Guntersville, Alabama, to Ray and Lorene Sparks, passed away surrounded by the love of the family she spent a lifetime loving and caring for.
Beth was many things throughout her life—a wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, friend, caregiver, and one of the strongest and most stubborn women you could ever have the privilege of knowing.
For most of her working life, Beth worked in production. But in 2004, her life changed when her son, Steven Kay Hodges, Jr., was involved in a devastating wreck that left him in a coma. Without hesitation, Beth stepped away from the life she knew and became his caregiver. It was simply who she was. When someone she loved needed her, she showed up.
And she showed up for far more people than just her family.
Throughout her life, Beth opened her home and her heart to countless people. Even during times when she had little herself, she found a way to help someone else. She took people in, fed people, cared for people, and would quite literally give someone the shirt off her back. Because of that generous heart, she made many friends throughout the years and leaves behind more people who loved her than could ever be named in one obituary.
Her greatest joy, however, was always her family. She loved her children and grandchildren fiercely. She also had a special place in her heart for her dogs, Suzie and Lotta, her cat, Johnnie, and found happiness and peace working in her garden.
Beth was loving and loyal, but anyone who truly knew her also knew she was stubborn—very stubborn. That stubbornness was part of what made her such a fighter.
She fought many battles during her lifetime and overcame challenge after challenge that might have broken someone else. She fought for the people she loved, she fought through difficult seasons, and she fought for her own life and health. When her lungs began to fail her, she fought that battle too. She never simply gave up. She fought until her body could no longer fight with her.
In the end, her lungs may have won the final battle, but they could never erase the life Beth lived, the people she helped, the family she created, or the love she left behind.
Beth is survived by her husband, Robert White; her daughters, Kellie Parrish and her husband, Chris; Jennifer Brown; and Ashley Hodges and her fiancé, Scott Hagemore; her honorary son-in-law, James Yancey; and her beloved grandchildren, Caleb (Morgan), Andrew, Seth, Brynnley, Riley Beth, and Kaylee Jo.
She is also survived by her sister, Charlotte Sparks; sister-in-law, Georgina Greer; nieces, Amanda Pelham and Stefanie Stanton; and a host of extended family members, friends, and others whose lives were made better simply because Beth was part of them.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Ray and Lorene Sparks, her siblings Ray Sparks, Jr. and Susan Sparks, and her beloved son, Steven Kay Hodges, Jr.
Beth’s life cannot be measured only by the years she was given. It can be measured in the people she cared for, the doors she opened, the second chances she gave, the flowers she grew, the friendships she made, the grandchildren she adored, and the family she loved with everything she had.
She was strong. She was giving. She was loyal. She was stubborn. She was a fighter. And most importantly, she was deeply loved.
Her fight is over now. Her work here is finished. And while those who love her will carry the ache of her absence, they will also carry pieces of Beth with them for the rest of their lives.
A mother like Beth leaves behind more than memories—she leaves behind a legacy of love, strength, and a family who will never stop telling her stories.
A Memorial Service will be Friday, November 20, 2026 at Arab Heritage Memorial Chapel. Visitation at 2:00pm with the memorial service immediately following at 3:00. Brother Stanley Reeves and Pastor Josh Ballew officiating. Arab Heritage Memorial Chapel/Brindlee Mountain Chapel assisting with arrangements.
