Betty Lou Carroll

December 16, 1926 - January 3, 2019

Betty Lou Carroll December 16, 1926 – January 3, 2019 Betty Carroll was a gentle soul with a quiet, dignified strength. She was always fashionable and classy and even at 92, wore hoop earrings and had her nails beautifully polished. Her hands and wrists held her signature rings and gold bracelets elegantly, never gaudy or overdone. She wore her gold Africa pendant over her heart every day, a visible allegiance to a place she deeply loved, where she gave much of her life. She had dark, wavy hair and a small space between her two front teeth that spoke to uniqueness – more interesting than perfection -- and was something she did not worry over. While she was warm and open, she was not effusive but deeply private and reserved. It seemed there was a wisdom and wealth of story and life experience under the surface that we just might not get to completely know. She had a quiet way of deeply endearing herself to others. She was born Betty Lou Wilt to parents of German origin, James Reason Wilt and Ida Jane Schock. Originally from Ohio, they moved to Lakeland, Florida where they lived out their lives. As members of an Old Order German Baptist faith community (Dunkards), they were pacifists, non-evangelical, non-missionary, wore Amish-looking “plain clothes” and practiced a simple, even austere life-style with an emphasis on prayer and contemplation. Though respected in their community they were not wealthy and according to Betty, lived on the lower end of the economic scale. They were described as quiet, reserved, soft spoken, serious, hard-working, deeply spiritual, dignified and upright. As the youngest of six children, with 12 years between she and her next oldest sibling, Betty was often cared for by her older sisters. At the age of 11, her older sister Annie began taking her to a Southern Baptist church. Betty’s father died when she was 14 years of age and her mother remained single for eighteen years before marrying Jesse Clear. By 16 years of age, Betty Lou completed her high school education and began working as a secretary to the editor of the local newspaper, who later paid her college tuition. Betty met Webster Carroll at Carson Newman College in 1944 where she majored in English and minored in Bible. After graduating in June, 1948, they were married and moved to South Western Seminary in Fort Worth TX where Betty completed her MRE and Webster his MDiv. Following completion of seminary and three years in a local church pastorate in Itasca, TX, they were appointed by the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board in 1956 and assigned to Tanzania, then called Tanganyika. They moved to Uganda in 1963 where they remained as missionaries until 1998. Betty was a member at First Baptist Church, Lakeland, FL for years and then at First Baptist Church, Bluefield, WV. After Web’s death, she became an integral part of a home church fellowship in the home of Bill and Karen Rich of Bluefield. Betty is preceeded in death by her husband, Webster Carroll; she is survived and cherished by Tim Carroll, married to Jennifer; daughter, Melody Harrell, married to Sam; six grandchildren; Allison Falcione, Brittany Zellhoefer, Morganne Dry, Corwin Harrell, Christopher Harrell, Carter Harrell; and six great-grandchildren. The family will receive friends at Mercer Funeral Home, Bluefield, WV, Saturday, Jan 12, from 10:30 a.m., followed by a service of remembrance at 11:00 a.m. and graveside gathering at Grandview Memory Gardens, Bluefield, VA.