Betty Lynn Smith

Betty Lynn Smith, 92, of Amarillo, Texas passed away peacefully with her family by her side on November 27th, 2023.

Memorial Services will be at 2:00 p.m., Friday, December 8th, 2023, at Polk Street Methodist Church Chapel, with Rev. Katie Hill and Rev. Lane Boyd officiating. Arrangements are through Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors, Amarillo, Texas.

Betty (Jo) Lynn was born in Erick, Oklahoma on August 30th, 1931, to Vera Elizabeth (Morgan) and William Leon Lynn.

Betty was preceded in death by her mother and father, her sister and brother-in-law, Sara Ann and Bobby Sullivan of Amarillo, Texas.

She is survived by her husband Scott C. Smith, Jr. of Amarillo, Texas, her son Daniel Lynn Smith of Amarillo, Texas, her daughter and son-in-law, Jeanene Lea Smith and Jay William Harvey of Austin, Texas, and her daughter, Sandra Kay Smith of Denver, Colorado. Her granddaughters, Madison Ann Enloe of Silverthorne, Colorado, Alexandra Paige Giffen of Richmond, Virginia, and Hannah Kay and Cody Spriggs, of Keller, Texas, and her great-granddaughter Willow Kay Spriggs.

When Betty graduated high school, her family moved from Clovis, New Mexico to Amarillo, Texas and immediately joined Polk Street Methodist Church.

Betty was a loving wife of 71 years. Scott remembers first noticing her in the choir of Polk Street Methodist Church, “I couldn’t see her face as she walked by me, but I thought, she has great legs!” After asking her father for her hand in marriage, they wed on January 21st. 1952, and were active members of Polk Street Methodist for over 71 years. They celebrated their Golden wedding anniversary with friends and family at Polk Street as well.

Betty was an accomplished musician, playing both the piano and violin. She accompanied Scott on his many singing engagements throughout the years. They traveled extensively and Scott recalled one of their favorite trips to France and Italy marveling at the many sights and eating “the best pizza we ever had.”

Betty was a faithful servant and lover of the Lord. She was active in her Friendship Sunday School class, teaching Sunday School for pre-schoolers and the ladies auxiliary groups at Polk Street. She was one of the First Ladies to help create a library at Polk Street.

For a time, Betty volunteered at Northwest Texas’s Hospital as a Pink Lady and especially loved working with those who had Down’s syndrome. “They are the same as us and so very sweet, I just love them”, she is remembered saying.

Betty was a devoted mother who reflected the term, “self- sacrificing”. Jeanene insists the only reason she is alive is “ for the first year of my life mom sat up and rocked me all night so I would be upright and my asthma would not suffocate me”, Sandra knows in her heart if Betty had not been an advocate for her and helped to discover Sandra had dyslexia, she would not have been able to graduate high school, or go to Nursing School.

All of her children were active in choirs and theater productions and Danny recalls, “whether backstage or recital or performance, mom was always there. Encouraging, coaching, teaching, cooking or just taking time to listen, Mom again was there.” Jeanene marvels at going to bed at night with costumes in pieces and sketches and waking up in the morning to find them all completed and fitting perfectly. She made Sandra’s Stephen F. Austin Day pink southern belle dress and matching parasol with no pattern. She was a loving grandmother who never minded making four hour round trips to Lubbock to pick up her granddaughter Madison on weekends so she would not have to change planes. When asked about her clearest memory of “Mimi, Madison said, “Her bears, of which she had dozens, but whenever I was sad or upset, she would take me to our favorite toy store, and we would walk around and just talk. We didn’t buy them but just talking over things really settled and soothed me.”

Betty’s favorite place was the mountains, she loved visiting her daughter and granddaughters in Colorado, going to Strawberry Days and walking Alex to school, although Alex says her lasting memory is “I will always think of her at 2 a.m. when I drove into town and she waited up for me so we could eat cherry pie together, I hope all Mimi’s are as precious as mine.” Betty was at the forefront of the knowledge of vitamins for health and exercise and one of Hannah’s memories was “watching her dance on her twist machine.”

A fantastic cook, everyone who ever had her molasses sugar cookies wanted the recipe. Sandra says, “whenever I was sick, she always made me homemade potato soup” and her pumpkin pie recipe is still “the best in the world” although Scott says her ability to make a cherry pie sealed the deal on the marriage.

Mom was a talented artist, specializing in the art of china painting. From colors and patterns in painting to costume design, her sensitivity to nuance and shading created joy. Her collection of beautiful pieces will be cherished by all of her children.

Betty’s long held dream came true when she purchased a small cabin in Sierra Bonita, New Mexico. Off with her sister they would go, as Sara also had a cabin just up the road, and the adventures began. Her son Daniel spent many hours helping with the construction, and it became her “get away place.” There is where her love and knowledge of plants, flowers, soil and how to care and nurture it for the benefit of “butterflies, bees, and us humans was most evident” Daniel said. He also commented “I being her first born would believe I had copied her green thumb only to find my attempts sorely lacking.”

So much of her will be missed and lives on in their memories.

The family would like to thank the staff of The Craig Nursing facility and BSA Hospice of Amarillo, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in Betty’s name to Polk Street Methodist Church.

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www.boxwellbrothers.com

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