Betty Louise (Bush) Durst, 82 of Ripley WV, passed away October 10, 2019, at Jackson General Hospital, Ripley, following a long illness.
Betty as born February 10, 1937, in Big Springs, Calhoun County, a daughter of the late William Earl and Mildred Lenore Jackson Bush.
She was a 1955 graduate of Calhoun County High School and retired as an Executive Secretary with the Jackson County Board of Education. She was a member of the Calvary United Methodist Church, Ripley.
She was an amazing mother, wife, grandmother, sister, aunt, loyal friend, confidant, role model, hugger, caregiver and angel among us.
She was a treasure and a joyful soul, the epitome of grace and humility, with a never ending smile and twinkle in those big, beautiful blue eyes. Those who knew her well, knew there was nothing she couldn't do. She was a fastidious housekeeper and homemaker, but preferred to be outdoors gardening and bird watching. No job was too big or too small to command her full attention to detail. From sewing, knitting and crocheting to landscaping, electrical wiring and tiling, she could do it all.
But the job she treasured most was being a role model for her children. Her greatest lesson to them was, "You do what you do because of who you are ... not because of what someone else has done." She lived by that rule and treated others with kindness and respect.
She was a collector of people ... lifelong friends, "adopted" children, trusted colleagues ... and she LOVED babies; her own, of course, but also nieces, nephews, and neighborhood ruffians who thought she came to visit just to play with them. And there was always time to stop a total stranger in the supermarket or shopping mall to admire a little one.
Those lives she touched, whether briefly or for a lifetime, have been truly blessed and immeasurably enriched by her love, her generosity, and her wisdom. She will be missed.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Bobby Durst; a daughter, Raymona Cunningham; a son, David Cunningham; and sisters, Madelyn Schultz and Winona Czaja.
She is survived by daughters, Lisa Cunningham of Ripley and Shari Cunningham (Bruce) of Rowe NM; son, Raymon Cunningham of Ripley; brother, Robert Earl Bush of Spencer; sisters, Joan Hawthorne of Mounds OK, and Carolyn Kelley of Englewood FL; grandchildren, Nathan Elliott Wright (Megan), Ali Cunningham Deem (Parker), Molli Cunningham and Sydni Cunningham.
Funeral Service will be 3 p.m. Sunday, October 13, at the Waybright Funeral Home, Ripley WV, with Rev. Charles Hicks officiating. Burial will be in the Blaine Memorial Cemetery, Cottageville. Friends may call from 1 p.m. until the time of service on Sunday at the funeral home.
Donations in memory of Betty may be made to:
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105
Or Calvary United Methodist Church Food Pantry, 205 Court St. N., Ripley, WV 25271
Or Hubbard Hospice House, 1606 Kanawha Blvd. W., Charleston, WV 25387
or ones charity of choice.
Memories and Condolences may be shared with the family by visiting www.waybrightfuneralhome.com |
