Betty Lou Webster Shepard, 83, of Rockingham, went peacefully home to be with her Lord on Saturday, February 10, 2024 at Richmond County Hospice Haven.
She was born February 18, 1940, in Hoke County, daughter of the late Paul Webster and Ida Leviner Webster.
Betty met the love of her life, Willey Shepard, and were happily married until the time of his death in 2006.
She was a faithful servant of the Lord and a member of Maple Street Freewill Baptist Church. Willey and Betty were the founding members of First Freewill Baptist Church of Laurinburg. Betty was no stranger to working hard, as a child, her family participated in sharecropping and she would tell stories of picking cotton and tobacco. She also worked as a seamstress in Hamlet, worked at Rohanen Elementary School, and served as a pastor’s wife.
She was passionate about cooking for her family, making jelly, her famous chicken and pastry, the best sweet potato and egg custard pies, cakes, biscuits, and so much more. Betty enjoyed fishing, making lye soap, gardening, canning, sewing, and reading her Bible.
Betty was preceded in death by her father and mother, Paul “Pride” and Ida Leviner Webster; her husband and love of her life, Willey “Billy” Lee Shepard; daughter, Betty Jo Phillips; brothers, Edgar Webster, John Webster, Jimmy Webster, Alfred Webster, Paul Webster; and sister, Alma Hester.
She is survived by her daughter, Janice Pruitt (Jory) of Laurel Hill; son-in-law, husband of Betty Jo Phillips, Ricky Phillips of Texas; grandchildren, Mandy Phillips of Rockingham, Jonathan and Amanda Pruitt of Bennettsville, SC, Chastity Alexander, Heather Phillips, and Justin and Kristen Pruitt of Rockingham; brother, Robert Webster of Hamlet; sisters, Jackie and Mike Rankin of Rockingham, and Louise Honeycutt of Rockingham; and great-grandchildren, Xavier, Austin, Tammy, Isaac, Lilly, Jamin, Jaiden, Willey, and David.
Visitation will be Thursday, February 15, 2024 from 6:00-8:00pm at Maple Street Freewill Baptist Church, Rockingham.
The funeral service will be Friday, February 16, 2024 at 2:00pm at Maple Street Freewill Baptist Church, with Pastor Darwin Cook and Rev. Ray Cribb officiating. Interment will follow at Richmond County Memorial Park.
Memorials may be made to Richmond County Hospice, 1119 N. US Highway 1, Rockingham, NC 28379.
Harrington Funeral Home & Crematory is serving the Shepard family.
Online condolences may be made at harringtonfuneralhome.com
