Bettye Jane Lawrence

Bettye Jane (Hudson) Lawrence (1941 – 2024) unexpectedly met her Lord and Savior on April 29, 2024, and was reunited with the love of her life, her husband Don, in Heaven. She was the rock of her family. She will be missed by her children, grandchildren, siblings, and all who knew her for her incredible thoughtfulness, warmth, humor, and faith. These virtues guided her life until her passing, when Jesus certainly said to her, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

Bettye was born in Watertown, Tennessee, on June 28, 1941 to Verdie (Agee) and Wilson Hudson. She was the oldest of five children. She loved her younger siblings dearly and spent every holiday and celebration with all of her Hudson family members. She graduated from Watertown High School in 1959. She had various jobs throughout her working career and loved to work, even in her later years.

Bettye met her husband, Don, in 1960. She said, “yes” to Don’s proposal sitting on the hood of his car and they married in August 1962. They spent the first three years of marriage living together in a small mobile home in Murfreesboro, saving their money for their dream home, which they built in Old Hickory in 1965 and both, eventually, passed in. The Lawrence home was open to anyone and everyone who wanted to celebrate, grieve, or just spend afternoons in each other’s company. Bettye and Don had a once-in-a-lifetime love and perfectly complemented each other. She was a force of nature – gregarious and kind, never meeting a stranger. Bettye rounded out Don’s softness perfectly. They shared the same signature Lawrence warmth, and it brings her family joy and comfort to know they are reunited in Jesus’ arms now.

The joy of Bettye’s life was being Mom to her two wonderful sons, and Gran to her three granddaughters. She was SO proud of her family, always carrying a camera with her so she could document milestones and sending notes of pride and encouragement (with a reference to Jeremiah 29:11) to cheer them on. Mom cared for her boys deeply, and supported every hobby and passion they pursued. Gran loved to watch her girls dance, and would gladly let Logan and Lindsey video her doing a dance trend too if it made them smile. She welcomed Sammy and Debi into the Lawrence family, showing up to football games to watch Sammy cheer and helping move her into and out of her first apartment. She supported everyone’s dream of being a VOL, and nothing made her happier than getting to be a “Tennessee Mom” and “Tennessee Grandparent.” She was intentionally joyful and always present.

Bettye was an active founding member of Victory Baptist Church in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. She sang in the choir every Sunday and was known to always hum her favorite hymns. Her favorite thing, though, was taking care of the 2- and 3-year olds in the church nursery. There are decades of church members who she cared for and taught in Sunday school living and working in Middle Tennessee, and she loved and prayed over each of her nursery “babies” like they were her own until the day she passed. Bettye also loved her lifelong friends from Green Hill Baptist Church. They went camping, played Bunco and dominoes, shared meals, and traveled the world together for over five decades.

Bettye lived a truly happy life. She was not consumed with material things, and found genuine love for the life she was living because she focused on the things that mattered to her: her people and their happiness, and experiences that brought people together and closer to God.

Bettye is survived by her sons, Alan (Debi) and Mike; granddaughters, Sammy (Owen), Logan (Robert Del), and Lindsey; sisters Nancy Close, Kay Wingate, and Doris Barnes, and brother Roger (Karen) Hudson; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Visitation will be Friday, May 3, from 4pm – 8pm and Saturday, May 4, from 10am - 12pm, at the Hermitage Funeral Home. The Funeral Service will be begin Saturday, May 4, at 12pm in the Tulip Grove Chapel at the funeral home with Bro. Chuck Groover officiating. Following the service, Bettye will be laid to rest in the mausoleum at Hermitage Funeral Home & Memorial Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in Bettye’s honor to the Women’s Missionary Union (WMU) at Victory Baptist Church, 1777 Tate Lane, Mt. Juliet, TN 37122. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared with the Lawrence family at www.HermitageFH.com.