Betty was born in Louisville, Kentucky, to the late Elizabeth Fort and William Graham Duncan III. She was raised on a farm in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and received a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University, where she graduated magna cum laude and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.
Betty had a lifelong commitment to the Presbyterian Church. She grew up in a family active in the church and assumed a leadership role in church groups at an early age. She met her husband of nearly 65 years, the Reverend Joseph B. (Joe) Mullin, at a church camp in Tennessee.
During Joe’s 35 years in ministry at churches in Nashville, Paducah and Louisville, Kentucky, and Greensboro, Betty gracefully performed those duties that traditionally fell to a minister’s spouse. She attended at least 1,000 weddings and funerals, planned and attended hundreds of church events, led numerous church-related groups, and taught 6th Grade Sunday School for 20 years. She also played a key behind-the-scenes role, helping Joe develop sermon ideas and providing inspiration through her keen intellect and encyclopedic knowledge.
Betty brought her energy, creativity, and leadership skills to the Greensboro community and beyond. She volunteered with numerous organizations, including the Weatherspoon Art Museum Guild, the English Speaking Union, the Human Relations Commission, the Voluntary Action Council, Meals on Wheels, and the Greensboro Arboretum. She supported outreach efforts with other countries, such as sponsoring a student exchange program with Scotland, assisting in settling refugees from Laos, and sister city outreach in Uzbekistan. She loved travel and enjoyed organizing trips abroad that included family and people from the church and community.
Betty also worked for peace. In the 1980s, she was a founder of the Religious Coalition to Reverse the Arms Race, developed a workshop called “What Shall We Tell the Children,” and participated in circling the Pentagon, White House, U.S. Capitol, and downtown Washington, D.C., with an 18-mile Peace Ribbon made from 27,000 panels of cloth.
Betty was full of curiosity and interests, loved novelty, and was game to try anything, from making flaming desserts, riding a camel, flying in a hot air balloon, baking a cake in the microwave, traveling to Antarctica, studying Greensboro’s outdoor sculpture, to panning for gold. After decades of marriage, her husband said, “The exciting thing about being married to Betty is not knowing exactly what to expect next.”
She also loved simpler pastimes, such as reading and crossword puzzles, and was a source of joy to her family and friends, whom she loved dearly. She was inventive, engaged, and fun with her children and grandchildren. She knew what children would enjoy and how to develop their sense of wonder and curiosity.
Betty is survived by her husband and three children: Mary Hamilton (Molly) Mullin of Greensboro; Elizabeth Duncan (Beth) Mullin of Washington, D.C., and Joseph Bartholomew (Bart) Mullin of Charleston, SC, and four grandchildren: Malcolm Mullin Kenton, Joseph Mullin Sandman, Elizabeth Duncan Sandman, and Harold Lawson Mullin. She is also survived by brother, Angus Fort Duncan of Newport Coast, CA, and sister Catherine Duncan Kress of Pensacola, FL.
The family would like to thank Hospice, Well Spring, and Debra Joyce, who provided wonderful care in her last years.
A memorial service will be held at Well Spring Community Auditorium at 4100 Well Spring Drive on Friday, August 10, 2018, at 11 AM with a reception immediately following.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to 1st Presbyterian Church, Hot Dish & Hope, 617 N. Elm Street, Greensboro, NC 27401.
Online condolences may be offered at www.haneslineberryfuneralhomes.com. Hanes-Lineberry N. Elm chapel is assisting the Mullin Family.
