A celebration of the life of Betty W. Samuel will be at 2 p.m., Wednesday, March 18, 2015, at Lakeview United Methodist Church in Minden. Family will receive visitors at Rose-Neath Funeral Home from 5 until 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 17.
Betty passed away Friday, March 13, 2015, at her home in Minden. She was born Nov. 20, 1923, in Shreveport. She was preceded in death by her parents, Carl Wall and Mae Gibbs Wall Dawson; her sisters, Patty Clare Wall and Vada Gates and husband, Del; husbands, Brooks Stein and S.B. Samuel Jr.; and son, Tim Samuel.
She leaves behind her sister, Pattie Dawson; daughter, Martha Brooks Stein; son, Dawson Samuel and wife, Sandra Brown Samuel; daughter-in-law, Sandra Skinner Samuel Futch and husband, Tom; grandchildren, Maegan Cole and husband, Aaron, Will Samuel, Taylor Brown, and Katie Samuel; niece, Dina Steward and husband, Dennis; nephew, Bob McDonald and wife, Becky; and great-grandchildren, Kennedie Cole and Kerrigan Cole; along with many cousins and other family.
Betty was a strong woman who loved her family and raised them to be independent adults. Along with raising a family, she had many vocations in her life; including working on the line at the Shell Plant (LAAP), being a secretary and bookkeeper and selling real estate. Betty worked for Nedra T. Kelly Real Estate Agency for years, and she and Nedra became life-long friends.
Betty was active in the community. She was a founding member of Lakeview Methodist Church. She also headed the committee that organized Minden’s “Cleanest City in the South” campaign. She was a founding member of Minden Tennis and Aquatic Club, working with close friend, Sonny Taylor. Her love of swimming lasted her whole life, and she even built a pool in her yard, which she enjoyed until she was 90 years old.
Betty loved gardening and working in her yard and even competed in floral design competitions. She loved riding horses, bird watching and cats.
Mostly, she loved her family. She suffered through the loss of one son, but reveled in the life of her other children. She loved to watch her grandchildren compete in sports, dance and life. In her later years it became difficult to get out of her house, but she still followed their activities as much as possible. She will be missed by those she left behind, but we rejoice in knowing that she is no longer in pain and now walks the streets of Heaven with all those who preceded her.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Betty’s name to whatever cause is dear to the heart of the donor.