Betty Jo Witherspoon

Died on May 10, 2023, in Tustin, CA at age 91

Graduated from Homestead High in Homestead, FL, received her Bachelor of Science in education from Florida State, and a Master’s degree in education from the University of San Francisco.

Married Henry Burwell “Buz” Witherspoon on April 22, 1955. Betty was an elementary school teacher in Florida and California for more than 30 years and received the Teacher of the Year Award in 1990 from Santa Ana Unified School District.

Preceded in death by: Her parents, Reverend James, and Helen Jenkins; her husband of 62 years, Henry Burwell “Buz” Witherspoon; her siblings, James Jenkins, Jr., Martha Jenkins Baldwin, John Jenkins and Robert Jenkins; and her in-law-siblings Thomas Witherspoon and Jack Witherspoon.

Survived by children John “Jack” Witherspoon, David Witherspoon, Mark Witherspoon, and Carol Witherspoon; daughters-in-law Paula Warren Witherspoon, Carolyn Cowl-Witherspoon, and Pamela Provence-Witherspoon; grandchildren Ryan Witherspoon, Jordan & Nadia Witherspoon, Felica Witherspoon, Justin Witherspoon, and Eric Witherspoon; and great-grandson Michael Witherspoon. Betty is also survived by her extended family, niece Jennifer Jenkins Carson and family, niece Kathy Jenkins Britts and family, niece Nicole Jenkins Ghann and family, nephew James “Bo” Everett; nephew Robert Jenkins and family; nephew Greg Witherspoon and family; niece Jackie Witherspoon Gengler and family; nephew Jack Brushert and family; niece Barbara Brushert Bond and family, and niece Kathy Brushert.

Hobbies included: playing the piano, serving in her church, reading, travel, playing board and card games, playing bridge, quilting, sewing, and enjoying time with her family and friends.

Celebration of Life: Wednesday, June 14, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. at Trinity United Presbyterian Church, located at 13922 Prospect Avenue, Santa Ana, CA 92705. Refreshments will be served immediately following the service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests you consider a donation to the children’s choir ministry at Trinity United Presbyterian Church or cancer research.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.fairhavenmemorial.com for the Witherspoon family.

Biography of BETTY JO JENKINS WITHERSPOON

Betty Jo Jenkins was born on July 12, 1931 in Lipscomb, AL. She was the youngest of 5 children born to Reverend James and Helen Jenkins. Growing up she lived in Lipscomb, AL, Pell City, AL, Clairmont, FL, Vero Beach, FL, Kissimmee, FL, Homestead, FL and Dunedin, FL.

As a shy preacher’s kid, moving around a lot was difficult. Her love for playing the piano and later the organ always made her welcome wherever they moved and helped her make friends. It was this love for music that sparked a desire to major in music. After a year of study and being discouraged by a professor who couldn’t see her full potential, Betty turned away from music as a career and focused on her second love, children. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Education at Florida State. Later in 1984 she went back to earn her master’s degree from the University of San Francisco. Betty discovered a passion for teaching elementary school children. Her patience and compassion, joyful nature and kind heart served her well in this field as she was a beloved teacher for more than 30 years. In 1985 she was nominated for teacher of the year and before retiring in 1990 she received the Teacher of the Year Award for Santa Ana Unified School District.

After graduating from Florida State, Betty met the love of her life, Buz Witherspoon, at a teacher’s conference. On April 22, 1955, she married Henry Burwell “Buz” Witherspoon and moved to Clearwater, FL where both would work as teachers. That first year of marriage they didn’t make much money so Betty joked that since she couldn’t afford to give Buz a birthday present she gave him a son. On February 12, 1956, Buz’s birthday, their first son John “Jack” Thomas Witherspoon was born. Jack was two weeks early and Buz claimed it was the best birthday present he had ever received. Two years later, on October 31, 1958, another son, David Scott Witherspoon was born.

With their growing family, thoughts turned to finding higher paying teaching jobs. So, in August 1959 they packed up and moved from Florida to California to live with Buz’s brother Jack and his family while they searched for teaching jobs and awaited the birth of their third child. On September 25, 1959, Mark Henry Witherspoon was born in Orange, California. Soon after his birth, Buz got a teaching job, and they bought a house in Santa Ana. On May 22, 1964, the Witherspoon family was completed with the birth of their only daughter, Carol Lee Witherspoon.

Betty’s children and all their extra-curricular activities were her life. Despite teaching full time she found time to be a Cub Scout den mother, a Little League score keeper and team mom, a Bobby Sox team mom, room mother, church choir leader, baseball and softball game attender and supporter. She taught them about Jesus, she passed on her love of music, she nurtured them through their formative years, encouraged them in their teens and urged them to follow their passions. She even tolerated sports on TV every Sunday after the family dinners. Betty’s favorite day was Sunday because that is the day they attended church and had family dinners, followed by basketball in the driveway and watching whatever sport was on TV. Family dinners were a tradition that went on for many years even after the children were adults and had families of their own.

Betty loved her family more than anything, but God was always number 1. She served him faithfully by playing the piano and organ in almost every Methodist church her family served and then in college and beyond. As a teenager and college student she worked as a Christian Camp counselor, and as an adult while a member of St. Luke’s Methodist Church in Santa Ana she was a volunteer on the visitation team and served in the women’s ministry. When she and Buz joined Trinity United Presbyterian Church she became a part of the Stephen Ministry team. She was known for her kind heart, her patient listening ear and healing words. She also sang in the Chancel Choir and directed or assisted with many of the children’s and cherub choirs. It was through her service in church that she met and formed many of her life-long friendships. Everyone loved Betty and always spoke well of her.

Betty loved her family and showed it in the way she cared for them. She prayed for them daily, stayed in touch with all her family through letters, cards, and phone calls. Nothing made her happier than receiving a call or a visit from her family, especially her grandchildren. Her southern hospitality was most evident when she received visitors. Even when it was hard for her to get out of a chair, or to get around, she never failed to get up and offer her guests something to eat or drink. It was as if she had been waiting for the opportunity to serve you and make you feel like you were the most important person in her world. You never left Betty’s home hungry or thirsty, and you always left her house knowing you were loved and appreciated. Her grandchildren loved her for her never-ending support, unwavering belief in them, and her sweet and loving heart. She always had a smile for them, and a word of encouragement before they left. Their visits were the hi-lite of her day.

Nothing meant more to Betty than her family. She researched the past to find family ancestors and helped Buz in his search for his birth family when he found out late in life that he was adopted. Betty was especially proud that she could trace her ancestors back to the American Revolution and was eligible to be a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution through her mother’s side. She loved to share stories of looking for lost graves of the Maxwells, Corry and Jenkins families in Alabama. Many family vacations were spent driving from the West Coast to the East Coast, camping along the way for Corry/Maxwell family reunions and visiting lifelong friends and family along the way. Camping was never her favorite pastime but visiting family on the East Coast was important and, in those days, camping was the affordable way to travel. She didn’t like the bugs, the primitive cooking, the ever-present dirt and the lumpy ground they had to sleep on, but she never complained and was always the first to get excited about a family trip and the memories those trips would generate through the years. Family traditions were formed with these cross-country trips. A family tradition of camping in Sequoia National Park and ski trips to Lake Tahoe was formed and continues through Betty’s children and grandchildren. Wonderful family memories are still being formed by annual camping trips and vacations in the beautiful forests of California.

Betty loved to travel, whether it was camping in National Parks, taking a train through the mountains of Colorado, visiting family in Canada, driving through the deserts, relaxing on the beaches of Hawaii, playing in Las Vegas, driving coast to coast or cruising Europe, Greece, Alaska, the Panama Canal and the Holy Land, Betty enjoyed it all.

While travel was a favorite pastime, Betty was a natural born teacher and loved learning about other people and points of interest in the places they visited on their family vacations. That love for travel and teaching allowed her to encourage and enrich the lives of many generations of young students in Florida and California, as well as teaching English to foreign exchange students who called the Witherspoon house their home. Betty and Buz made a point of seeing most of the United State during their travels, including Hawaii and Alaska.

Betty taught school from 1954 to 1990, taking a few years off to raise her children. Betty was an elementary teacher at Mildred Helms Elementary School in Largo, FL; followed by Kings Highway Elementary in Clearwater, FL; Edith Unsworth Elementary School in Downey, CA; Diamond Elementary School in Santa Ana, CA; Carl Harvey Elementary School in Santa Ana, CA; and John Muir Elementary School in Santa Ana, CA. Betty also taught piano from her home to earn extra money for the summer travel they loved to do as a family.

Besides travel, Betty loved to create. She was a seamstress when her kids needed new clothes or alterations, and she loved to quilt. She painted landscapes and china and learned the art of pressing wildflowers and making wall art from them. She also loved flowers. Buz always made sure she had roses, azaleas and gerbera daisies planted in their yard so she could enjoy their blooms and many fragrances. One of the last things she did before she passed was plant gerbera daisies outside her kitchen window so she could look at them every morning.

Another love and one that was very dear to her heart was the friends she made and kept for more than 60 years. Betty loved to play bridge, so much so that when she was in college, she would rush back to the dorm every day for a game of bridge before tackling school assignments. Her love for bridge connected her with friends she met through church. These people became more than friends, they were family. They bonded through serving at the church together, bowling on local leagues, playing monthly bridge, family picnics and dinners, summer camp outs, traveling in their retirement years, shopping and having lunch together. They raised their children together, laughed and cried together, and supported each other in sickness and health, sadness and joy. This unique group of friends has shown the world what it means to be true friends, ones who are there for every occasion, whether it is to celebrate, or just be there to hold you up in your time of sorrow. Their friendship is a legacy to their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, celebrating the true value of friendship.

Betty had many hobbies and passions, but none more than caring for the people in her life. She was kind, generous of spirit, hopeful and cheerful. She had life-long friendships because she never failed to lend a hand. She always had a positive word and a smile, even when she was sick or hurting, and her friends knew she loved them unconditionally. Betty believed that everyone had value and something to contribute to our world. Her outlook on life was always hopeful. She leaves behind a legacy of compassion, kindness, joy, beauty, and life-long devotion to Jesus, and love of her family.